Finding My Way
by Ree93
Summary: My sister and I had always been close. Not only were we twins, we were also best friends. Where one of us was, the other was surely close by. We could have never predicted that moving to Forks would change things. We fell in love with two guys. The problem? They were mortal enemies. For the first time, my sister and I were on opposite sides. This is the story of how I found my way.
1. Chapter 1

**A** **uthor's Note: This is my first attempt at writing. I needed a hobby; hopefully this will be a nice one. So since I am new to this, I'm not quite sure what all I need to disclaim so here goes:**

 **First off, I also have this story posted on my Wattpad account under the name of redheadann.**

 **Secondly, I will be following pretty closely to the Twilight series books and possibly borrowing some ideas from the movie as well. I do not own any of those obviously. I only own characters that are not recognized and the original ideas that are also not recognized. My plan is to cover all the books and a little bit further afterwards.**

 **I am definitely not a genius when it comes to writing nor do I pretend to be. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Please let me know your thoughts on the story. Let me know what you like about it and what I can fix as well.**

 **Thank you.**

 _Look Out Forks_

January in Phoenix, Arizona is a beautiful thing. The weather is constantly around 75 degrees and it is nearly always sunny. It is the ideal weather for driving to the airport with the car windows rolled down.

My mother — Renee — and I sing along loudly to the radio while my sister — Bella — tries to pretend like she isn't sulking in the backseat.

She isn't sulking because I got shotgun; she's sulking because we are leaving our mom and sunny Phoenix to move in with our Dad — Charlie — in Forks, Washington.

Forks wouldn't be _so_ bad, if only it would ever stop raining there. Apparently, it is the rainiest place in the United States. I would know; Bella has reminded me of that fact for months now.

Hopefully, she will remember that this move was _her_ idea.

Not that I can fault her reasoning. Our mom remarried to a man named Phil about a year ago. Phil is a minor league baseball player which causes him to travel most of the time. Our mom always stayed home with us instead of traveling with him. Although she would deny it vehemently, we could see how sad it made our mom to be without him.

Bella came up with the idea of moving in with our dad two months ago. After a moment of hesitation, I finally agreed with her plan.

To say our decision shocked our parents would be a bit of an understatement. Our dislike of Forks wasn't exactly hidden, seeing as once we turned fourteen we managed to talk our dad into spending our summer vacation in California instead. Despite it all, our dad _is_ very happy with our decision and didn't ask too many questions.

Our mom was a different story. The past two months have been filled with "Are you sure?" And "You really don't have to do this."

"Bella, you're not going to be able to wear that shirt much in Forks." Mom says looking back at my sister.

I look back at my sister as well. She's wearing her favorite blouse. It's short-sleeved and thin. I opted for something more practical considering our destination – a pink hoodie with a pair of blue skinny jeans and my favorite brown boots that end just below my knees.

I snicker at the frown on Bella's face.

"It's her farewell to the sun." I inform my mom with a grin, ignoring the glare Bella sends my way.

As if I need her to remind me yet again that we are supposed to have a brave face for our parents so that they have no reason to suspect we don't _really_ want to be in Forks.

"You don't have to say goodbye, ya know." Mom says with a hint of pleading.

"We _want_ to go, Mom." Bella says in a strong voice. One that she has perfected over these last few months.

Bella, who is not a decent liar at all, actually sounds sincere. If I didn't know the girl _better_ than the back of my hand, I might have fell for the act.

"It's an adventure for us, Mom." I start dramatically, "I mean, who doesn't want to start a new school during the middle of their junior year?"

This causes my mom to frown and Bella to flick my ear.

The rest of the ride to the airport consists of Bella and I taking turns yet again reassuring our mom that everything would be fine.

"Girls, you really don't have to go." Our mom says for the final time hugging us both tightly.

"We know." Bella and I answer simultaneously.

"If you change your mind, I'll head straight home." Our mom promises causing Bella and I to grimace.

I take a moment to really look at my mom. To ingrain her image into my brain before I leave. Her shoulder length dark auburn hair and blue eyes. Her beautiful smile.

It's no secret that I take more after her than my dad. I share the same hair and eye color as her. My auburn hair falls down to my mid-shoulder blades and is naturally straight. My personality is also like hers. We are both hopeless romantics and can be pretty loud.

Bella takes more after our Dad. They both have brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Bella's hair is also straight and the same length as mine. She is quieter like our Dad as well.

The oddest thing about Bella and me, is that although we are fraternal twins we share a lot of the same features. Our hair and eye color are different yet our facial features are the same. We are both 5'4 and both have slender builds. We are constantly asked if one of us dyed our hair or wear colored contacts. Although I am the twin that has to wear contacts, they are definitely not colored.

I know that Bella is having a harder time than I am leaving our mom. Bella is the 40 year-old in the 17 year-old's body. She is the more mature one out of the three of us. She always made sure to keep up with the bills, cooking, and cleaning.

I guess that makes me the lazy twin. Whatever.

"We will be fine." I say reassuringly.

"Tell Charlie I said hi." Our mom says.

"We will." Bella answers her this time.

"Call me when you get settled." Our mom demands of us.

"We will." I say while rolling my eyes.

"I love you, Rory." My mom says squeezing me tight in a final hug.

"I love you too." I say.

Bella and our mom say their goodbyes and we wave to our mom before getting on our plane.

I have a personal hatred of flying. For one, I have a fear of heights. Second, I am highly claustrophobic. My four hours spent in the air consist of blasting Avril Lavigne in my ears thanks to my trusty CD player; sitting in the aisle seat so that I don't feel _too_ trapped while simultaneously gripping the arms of my seat so hard my knuckles stay an unnatural shade of white. I even make time to send glares over at Bella who sits comfortably by the window calmly reading _Wuthering Heights_ for the millionth time. She gave up trying to calm me down after the first hour.

To say I am happy when the plane lands in Port Angeles would be the understatement of the century. While Bella calmly waits for everyone else to get off, I forcibly push and shove my way out. Stepping out into the chilly air of Washington, I take a deep breath and let out a relieved sigh. I'm so happy to be out of the confining plane that the unpleasant feeling of rain doesn't even bother me.

I decide to wait at the end of the ramp for Bella, who as usual is one of the last ones off. Together we go and get our luggage, which consists of three bags each and find our way to our Dad who can be seen standing by his Police cruiser. Our Dad is the Chief of Police in Forks.

We stumble our way over to him. He wraps an arm around both of us in an awkward hug.

"I'm so glad you girls are here." He says as he lets us go.

"Hey Dad." Bella says as I say, "We're glad to be here."

"How's Renee?" He questions as we load our bags in the back of the cruiser.

"Mom's good." Bella replies.

"She says 'Hi'" I add as I climb into the back seat deciding to let Bella have the front seat. I already know this car ride is going to be awkward.

"I've found you girls a truck. Real sturdy; they don't make them like this anymore. It's real cheap too." Dad announces as we begin the hour drive to Forks.

I grimace at the idea of a sturdy truck. It sounds bulky. I'm the type of girl who prefers small cars. Bella, on the other hand, needs a freaking tank. That clumsy twit.

I come to the conclusion that Bella is best served for this conversation — she is after all the only one out of the two of us who has actually saved some money for a vehicle for us. I personally don't care if Charlie drove us around in the cruiser — heck, maybe I could talk him into using the siren just to scare the crap out of people.

I tune out of their conversation while staring out the window until I hear a familiar name.

"Do you remember Billy Black from the reservation?" Dad inquires.

"No." Bella answers instantly.

"We used to go fishing with him and his son Jacob during the summer?" Dad supplies.

"I remember Jacob!" I blurt out with a grin.  
Jacob Black was a friend of mine during our summers with Dad. Bella, always being the more mature one, spent her time with his older twin sisters. Jacob and I used to get into all kinds of shenanigans together.

Dad looks at me in the rear view mirror with a small smirk, "I figured _you_ would, Rory. You two were always up to something."

"I'll have to go visit him. It's been years since we last hung out." I say with a small smile.

"I'm sure Billy and Jacob would be happy to see you — both of you." Dad says.

"So about the truck." Bella changes the topic causing me to go back to looking out the window. Forget that truck.

We learned that Dad already bought the truck for us causing us to thank him. Then there was small talk about the weather — how awkward. The rest of the ride is relatively silent.

The house looks the same as it always has. It's a white, 2 bedroom two-story home. Sitting in the driveway is an old red truck. By old, I mean this truck looks like it fell out the 50's. I wrinkle my nose. I can definitely see Bella driving this tank. I think I would prefer the cruiser.

Not wanting to come off as ungrateful, I plaster a smile on my face. Bella and I tell Dad that it's perfect. The difference between us is that Bella actually means it. I, on the other hand, am seriously considering finding a part-time job to purchase my own vehicle. For now, the truck will do to help get me from point A to point B.

It doesn't take long to get mine and Bella's stuff up to our room that we unfortunately have to share. Our room still has the light blue walls and yellow window curtains that our mom put up when we all still lived in this house. There are two twin beds, one closer to the closet while the other is next to the window. There is also a desk with an old desktop computer on it, a dresser, and a book shelf.

It doesn't take long for Dad to leave us alone — something Mom would never be able to do.

We take our time putting our things away. I claim the top two drawers on the dresser leaving the bottom two for Bella. She gets the first three shelves on the book shelf and I get the remaining three on bottom.

Once all of that is finished, I go into the one bathroom and take a shower. I do my best to convince myself that everything will be okay.

We eat pizza with Dad for dinner — which I find awesome. Pepperoni pizza is my comfort food. Some girls drown their sorrows with ice cream; I smother mine with pizza.

That night Bella and I push our beds together. The rain on the roof makes it impossible for us to fall asleep. We hold on to each other as we cry ourselves to sleep, doing our best to reassure the other that this move will not be a complete disaster. But really, who are we kidding?


	2. Chapter 2

_Forks High School_

Morning comes far too soon for my liking. I feel as if I had literally just closed my eyes when our alarm clock starts blaring that annoying _beep beep beep._

Bella and I take a good minute to untangle ourselves; her legs are twisted into mine and my arm is slung across her face. This is a huge reminder as to why we no longer share a bed.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Bella," I grumble pulling the comforter over my head, "Turn that dang thing off!"

"It's on your side, Rory."

I squint one eye open and peek out from under the blanket. Sure enough, the blaring alarm clock sits on the dresser which would be right next to where my bed was supposed to be.

"Ugh!" I groan before launching my pillow across the room at the alarm clock causing the clock to fall to the floor with a loud _THUMP_ and the batteries to fall out on the floor.

My only thought is _score_ as I close my eyes hoping to get at least five more minutes of sleep.

"Real mature, Aurora!" Bella chides as she throws the blanket off of her body and hauls herself out of bed.

"Never said I was, Isabella." I retort as Bella puts the batteries back into the alarm clock.

I don't even have to look at her, I can _feel_ her rolling her eyes at me.

"I'm getting a shower. You should get up too." Bella suggests as she grabs her bag of toiletries.

"Yeah, I totally should." I grumble as I roll over onto my stomach.

I hear Bella sigh as the door opens and closes signifying she has left the room.

It takes a good five minutes before I can convince myself to climb out of bed. Thanks a lot Dad for signing us up to start school already.

Standing in front of the closet, I decide to wear a light blue V-neck long-sleeved shirt with a pair of blue skinny jeans and my trusty boots.

I leave the bedroom taking note that Bella is still in the bathroom. I decide to head down to the kitchen for some breakfast.

Dad still hasn't gotten over Mom. This fact is evident everywhere I look. Their wedding photo is still on display in the living room. He hasn't even changed the yellow paint Mom put on the kitchen cabinets over 17 years ago in an attempt to brighten up the room.

As if that is even possible living in Forks.

I guess I can understand why he hasn't gotten over her. The reality is, they didn't divorce on bad terms. Mom has always been a free spirit; living in Forks made her feel caged. She wanted Dad to leave Forks with her. Unfortunately, his parents were sick at the time and he was taking care of them - he chose not to leave. Mom packed Bella and I up when we were 3 months old and left.

It sucks that our parents weren't together, but Bella and I have always considered ourselves lucky that they didn't hate each other. I have never heard either of them say one negative thing about the other.

"Good Morning, Rory." I hear my Dad's voice as I walk into the kitchen.

"Morning." I reply back refusing to use the word _good_ to describe this day.

Dad is already sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. I sit down next to him in one of the three mismatched chairs after grabbing the milk and a bowl and spoon for myself.

 _Yum, Frosted Flakes,_ I think to myself as I grab the box off the table and begin pouring some in my bowl.

Bella walks in and gets herself a bowl and spoon just as I have finished pouring milk into my cereal.

"Good Morning, Bells." Dad says to her before stuffing another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Good Morning." Bella replies as she pours herself some cereal.

It's quiet at the table after that. The only sound is chewing and spoons clicking into bowls.

The quietness makes me miss Mom. Right now we would either be singing along to the radio or gossiping about Mrs. Jenkins down the street who has had yet _another_ man stay in her house that wasn't Mr. Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins is a truck driver and has no clue about his wife's infidelity. Poor guy.

"Good luck today, girls." Dad says as he stands up and puts his dishes in the sink.

"Thank you." Bella and I reply simultaneously while sharing a look.

That one look tells me everything I need to know. We both believe that the effort is pointless. Today will suck. We will be the new girls and people will stare. We've probably been the talk of the town for the last two months. The gossip mill has probably ran rampant.

Dad leaves to go to work leaving Bella and I sitting in the kitchen in silence. Both of us pondering our own thoughts.

"Do you think we can talk Charlie into taking those down?" Bella asks drawing my attention from the speck of chipped paint on the table that I had been mindlessly zoning out at.

I look at her to see her staring at our school photos that are lined up in the living room. I can't help but grimace.

"I wish. I don't need the constant reminder that I was the only one who needed braces in 7th grade." I complain as I glare at the offending photo.

Bella lets out a laugh which causes me to shift my glare to her.

"I wouldn't laugh, dear sister. At least it looks like I knew how to brush my hair." I smirk at her as her cheeks turn a shade of red.

"Looks like you forgot to brush your hair today." She scoffs as she stands up to put her dishes in the sink.

"Touché." I grumble as I stand up and walk towards the stairs.

"Could you please _at least_ bring your dishes to the sink?" I hear Bella complain behind my back which causes me to grin.

"Oops." I yell out as I clamber up the stairs.

It doesn't take me long to brush my hair and teeth. I meet Bella at the front door where we both pull on our parkas that are supposed to keep our clothes dry.

It's drizzling outside and also a not-so-wonderful shade of gray. I'm not sure if I should appreciate the fact that it's not raining hard enough to soak me or if I should be upset and take the weather as a bad omen for the day. Deciding on the latter, I make my way to the passenger side of the truck as Bella finds the spare house key that is hidden under the eaves by the door and locks up the house.

The truck smells like gasoline, tobacco, and peppermint but at least it's clean.

Bella starts the truck and it roars to life. I flinch at the obnoxious sound. This sucks.

I fiddle with the radio as she pulls out of the driveway. Luckily, it works.

Together we spot Forks High School which is situated right off the highway - then again, everything is right off the highway. At first, I was certain that this could not possibly be a school. It looks like a bunch of maroon colored brick houses that are just jumbled together. All the trees and shrubs work together to hide a huge portion of the _school_ from view. A sign declaring these buildings as Forks High School is what made me lose the debate with Bella.

"Where are the chain-linked fences?" Bella questions as she pulls into a parking spot in front of the first building that has a sign that says FRONT OFFICE.

"Toto, I don't believe we are in Phoenix anymore." I remark as I open my door and climb out of the truck.

I glance around and notice that no one else is parked here. "Umm, Bells. I don't think we are supposed to park here." I say as I walk towards her.

Bella nods her head. "Yeah, we can ask for directions while we are in here. I didn't want to look like an idiot by circling the parking lot."

"Yeah, especially with that obnoxious beast." I agree as we walk towards the door of the office. My comment earns a glare from Bella before she opens the door. I shrug, it's not my fault she has bad taste.

The small office is brightly lit and extremely toasty. The kind of toasty that makes it hard to breath. It has the normal padded fold-up chairs, notices and awards hanging on the walls, and a large annoying clock that most school offices have. I don't know who thought the ugly orange carpet was a good idea though. I notice that they have plants growing in pots which causes me to nudge Bella with my right elbow.

"I guess there isn't enough plants and trees outside." I whisper sarcastically into her ear which causes her to smirk.

Right in the middle of the room is a long counter that has the usual wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped on the front of it. Three desks sit behind the counter. A plump red headed woman wearing glasses and a purple t-shirt is sitting at one of the desks.

"Can I help you?" The red headed woman questions as she looks up from the computer she was typing on.

I send a big grin her way. Redheads have to stick together.

"I'm Isabella Swan. This is my sister Aurora." Bella informs the woman and we can see the immediate awareness in her eyes.

Great, I knew we were the talk of the town. Dang it, Dad.

"Of course," the woman replies as she digs through a pile of papers on her desk. "I have your schedules and maps of the school." She says as she brings some papers over to show us.

She went through our schedules with us; luckily, Bella and I have all the same classes. She highlighted the best routes to each class for us on our maps of the school.

"Please get each of your teachers to sign these slips and bring them back at the end of the day," she says as she hands us each a pink slip of paper which causes Bella and I to nod our heads that we understood.

"I hope you girls will like it here in Forks." She says with a smile.

Bella and I manage to smile back at her. My smile is a little more sincere than Bella's - like I said, we redheads have to stick together.

Upon exiting the building, we realize that other students have arrived. Great, the school day has officially begun. Bella and I share a quick nervous glance at each other before climbing back into the truck. I flinch again as the truck roars to life. This is so embarrassing.

It doesn't take Bella long to get into the line of cars and find a parking spot. She quickly turns the _beast_ off so that it doesn't draw even more attention to us. Looking around the parking lot, I can't help but notice the lack of fancy cars. Our previous school had plenty of Corvettes and Mercedes in the parking lot.

"Where are all the trust-fund-kid cars?" I question rhetorically.

"There's a nice Volvo over there." Bella responds as she points towards said car.

I feel a little bit better about our monstrosity of a vehicle knowing that the nicest vehicle on the lot is a _Volvo._ Our old school was filled with people who judged others based on their possessions and social class. Needless to say, Bella and I weren't very popular there. We lived in one of the few low-income neighborhoods that was allowed to attend Paradise Valley District. Hopefully, the student body of Forks High School will not be as superficial.

I watch as Bella dutifully scans over the school map hoping to ingrain the information into her brain. I'll simply do what I always do which is follow her around. If we are lucky, maybe we will meet at least someone who is willing to help out the new girls.

"Are you ready?" I ask her as I throw my papers into my white Jansport backpack.

She takes a deep breath before throwing her own papers into her dark blue Jansport backpack while nodding her head at me.

I pull my jacket hood over my head in hopes of keeping my hair dry. Bella has pulled her hood on and has her hair down around her face in an obvious attempt to not draw attention to herself. She might have succeeded seeing as her black jacket blends in with the other students; but my bright pink jacket stands out like a beacon in this dreary weather. I definitely do not blend in among the other students gathered on the sidewalk.

"What building is our first class in?" I question Bella quietly as we walk past the cafeteria.

"Building three.. So right there." She responds while pointing to a building that has a large black "3" on it.

I walk into the classroom behind Bella. I watch as she takes her jacket off and hangs it up on the long coat rack that all the other students have hung their jackets on. I frown slightly before reluctantly doing the same. My jacket is warm and I don't personally feel like leaving the warmth behind. I am extremely cold-natured.

I follow Bella as she makes her way up to the teacher. At first, I'm confused as to why she is going up to him until I see her hand the tall, balding man the slip of paper that we are supposed to have our teachers sign. I quickly grab my own slip out of my bag.

I ignore the way he gawks at us as he reads our names. Instead, I look at his desk which gives me the impression that he is a perfectionist. Everything is neat and has its own place. His name plate that says 'Mr. Mason' looks like it has never even seen a speck of dust.

I catch a glimpse of Bella's tomato red face as Mr. Mason hands us back our slips and sends us to the two empty seats in the back of the classroom. Students still manage to stare at us from back here. When there is a will there is a way. I send small smiles at the ones whose eyes I catch. Bella, on the other hand, keeps her gaze locked on the paper that has the reading list for this class. I briefly glance at it and can't help but grimace. Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Faulkner are what we will be reading. I barely managed to get through reading this stuff back at Paradise Valley; I have no clue how I am supposed to get through them again. One glance at Bella tells me she is somewhat relieved with the reading list. Of course _she_ would be relieved.

The class seems to drone on with Mr. Mason going on and on about things I absolutely don't care about. The bell finally rings which sounds like heaven to me - even if it is shrilly sounding. I quickly shove my papers in my bag and look towards Bella. I'm about to ask her what class we have next when I notice her attention is straight ahead. I follow her stare and see a lanky guy with skin problems and black hair turning towards us.

"You're Aurora and Isabella Swan, right?" He questions, looking like he would be more than willing to help us get through the day.

"Rory." I say with a smile and Bella responds to him with, "Bella."

He smiles back at me as other students turn around to stare at us.

"Where's your next class?" He asks us as his eyes flicker back and forth between our faces.

I glance at Bella who starts digging through her bag for her schedule. I notice we have now caught the attention of most of the students in the class. Curious eyes are everywhere.

"Um, we have Government, with Jefferson, in building six." Bella informs him while looking at her schedule.

"I'm headed towards building four, I could show you the way..." I knew he would be willing to help. "I'm Eric," He added.

I give grin, "Thank you." I say sincerely while Bella gives a tentative, "Thanks."

After getting our jackets we walk out into the rain. It's raining harder than the drizzle it was doing this morning which causes me to frown and hold my jacket tighter around me trying to block out the chill.

Eric manages to squeeze himself between Bella and me. I notice the people behind us walking a little bit closer to us than what would normally be socially acceptable. I don't know whether to be flattered that people find us interesting or be upset that they are too chicken to talk to us themselves.

"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" He asks.

"Very." Bella replies with one word. This causes me to frown, how are we supposed to make friends if she doesn't want to talk to anyone?

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"At most it rains there about three or four times a year. So it's nice and dry." I respond this time.

"Wow, what must that be like?" He wonders.

"Sunny," Bella tells him.

"Neither of you look very tan."

"Our mother is part albino." Bella says while I respond with, "I'm a redhead."

I watch as Eric studies Bella's face apprehensively, which causes me to laugh as she sighs. Obviously, he isn't very good at detecting sarcasm. At least he is friendly, though.

Our next class' location causes us to walk back around the cafeteria and it is situated south of the gym. Eric walks us right to the door, which I know slightly irritates Bella. Whether she wants to believe it or not, I believe she is a bit of a feminist. I, on other hand, believe it is incredibly sweet of him to do.

"Well, good luck, " He tells us as Bella puts her hand on the door handle. "Maybe we'll have some other classes together." He says in a hopeful voice.

Bella gives him a vague smile and walks into the classroom while I give him a smile and say, "Thank you. That would be nice."

The rest of morning went by basically the same. We have trigonometry with Mr. Varner. I love trig, but I don't care much for the teacher. The old geezer was the only teacher to make us stand up in front of the room and introduce ourselves. It made no sense seeing as we are siblings, the only thing we had to say different from the other was our first name. Poor Bella had a worse time than me. Not only was she blushing up a storm, she also tripped over her words _and_ feet.

It didn't take long to start recognizing faces in the classes. This was to be expected seeing as how this school doesn't have anywhere near the amount of students as our old school. Luckily, with each class that passed more and more students were getting brave enough to talk to us. I would smile at them and be friendly, hoping beyond hope that we would have people to sit with when lunch time comes. Bella would do the lying for us when they asked how we were liking Forks. No need for us to talk bad about their hometown.

We sat by a short, dark curly haired girl named Jessica in our Trigonometry and Spanish class. Jessica seems like the go-to-girl for all the information concerning the school and people in it. I carried on most of the conversations with her as Bella didn't even try to keep up with her. The hermit that girl is. Luckily, Jessica invited us to sit with her and her friends at lunch. She introduced us to them, the names standing out the most being Angela, Tyler, and Ben.

I notice Bella's blatant staring across the cafeteria, and I look to see what captured her attention. I notice her staring at five people sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria secluded from everyone else. At first I am in shock that the Queen of 'I hate people staring at me' is so willingly gawking at these people. Then I notice that there is something hauntingly beautiful about them. So hauntingly in fact that I find it creepy. All of them are paler than _me_ which is something I never thought was possible. Something about them just screams 'danger' to me.

It doesn't take long for Bella to question Jessica about them. I can see the excitement spark in Jessica's eyes as she is happy to divulge into some gossip. We learn that their names are Edward, Emmett, and Alice Cullen and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. Edward Cullen is lanky and has untidy, bronze colored hair. Emmett is extremely muscular and has dark curly hair. Jasper Hale is tall, lean, and muscular (although nowhere near as muscular as Emmett) and has honey blond hair. Rosalie Hale is tall, with golden, gently wavy hair ending at her mid-back. And Finally, Alice Cullen is short and thin with dark black hair that is chopped short and spikes in all different directions. I don't spend too long studying them due to the eerie feeling I get in the pit of my stomach, although I can't say the same for my sister.

To say the least, Bella is intrigued by them

"They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." Jessica informs us.

"They are... very nice-looking." Bella comments.

"Yes!" Jessica agrees with a giggle. "They're all _together_ though - Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they _live_ together." Jessica says with shock and condemnation evident in her voice. The situation does seem a bit weird to say the least.

The rest of lunch is spent with Bella questioning Jessica further about the mysterious Cullens, while I simply eat my lunch and try to ignore the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that tells me there is something _off_ about them.

After lunch we have Biology II. Our teacher's name is Mr. Banner; he signs our slips and sends us to the only two open seats available. My seat is next to a cute guy with gelled, spiked up pale blond hair and blue eyes.

"Hey, are you Aurora or Isabella Swan?" He asks with a friendly smile when I sit down.

"I go by Rory." I say with a smile.

"I'm Mike." He introduces himself. "Do you need any help finding your next class?" He adds with a smile.

"Sure. I have gym next period." I say with a smile. Sure, I could easily find it on my own; but if the offer is there why not take it?

Mike and I get along well, we both love to talk. I learn that he lived in California and then moved when he was ten. I don't have to pretend to enjoy the weather here in Forks - he understands.

"What do you think your sister did to Cullen?" Mike wonders which causes me to look back towards Bella.

Bella is sitting next to Edward Cullen. He is shifted as far away from her as possible. The guy looks like he either smells something offensive or he is majorly constipated. Maybe both.

"Bella wouldn't do anything to him." I murmur as I catch Bella's eye and send her a reassuring smile. I can tell immediately that it does not help which causes me to frown. How dare that buffoon make my sister feel like crap? I attempt to send a glare his way, which doesn't have much of an effect seeing as he never even glances in my direction.

"I've never seen him act like that." Mike comments before turning his attention back to Mr. Banner.

"Weird." I comment as I turn my attention back to the teacher as well.

The bell rings and Edwards shoots out of room like its on fire. I make my way quickly to my sister.

"What happened?" I question concerned.

Before she can respond, Mike walks up behind me saying "So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that."

I watch as Bella cringes. Kind of makes me want to punch Mike for bringing it up so bluntly.

We make our way towards the gym as Bella proceeds to pretend like she has no clue who Edward Cullen is and insists that she has never even talked to him.

"He's a weird guy." Mike responds as he lingers by us instead of going into the dressing room, "If I were lucky enough to have both of you sitting by me, I would have talked to you too."

Bella smiles at him before grabbing my arm and pulling me towards to the girls' dressing room.

Fortunately, the gym teacher, Coach Clapp, doesn't make us dress in a uniform today. Bella and I sit in the bleachers and watch four volleyball games. I personally cannot wait to play, while Bella is dreading it.

After class, we make our way to the office to turn in our slips. Edward Cullen is at the counter doing is best to persuade the lady behind to counter to change his schedule. He was doing his best to trade his sixth-hour Biology to any other time. I watch as he sends my sister a hate-filled glare which causes me to send a heated glare right back at him. Who does this guy think he is?

"Never mind, then," He says hastily to the receptionist in a smooth voice. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." Then he disappears out the door.

"How did your first day go?" The receptionist asks us in a friendly tone.

"Fine, thanks." I reply for the both of us seeing as Bella's face has gone white.

I decide to drive us home seeing as Bella seems to be holding back tears.

"It's okay, Bells." I say reassuringly as I reach over and give her hand a comforting squeeze.

Bella just stares blankly out the windshield. How dare Edward Cullen do this to my sister? What a douche.

 **Authors Note:**

 **Sorry it's so long. Please let me know what you think whether that be anything I need to improve on or if it sounds good so far. Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: The amount of gratitude I have for all of you who have favorited, followed, and reviewed is immense. Thank you all, I am so encouraged and excited. To those that reviewed I am so happy that you like Rory and Bella, too, in this story. I keep Twilight and the Twilight Saga: The official Illustrated Guide by my side as I write. I will be following along with the timeline, once Bella starts being around Edward is when we will see Rory doing her own things and learning to be independent. It's going to be a long ride and I hope you will all enjoy it. Here's chapter 3, please let me know what you think.**

 _Settling into a Routine_

"That guy is a complete douche, Bells." I insist as I shove another bite of pizza into my mouth.

"I just don't know what I did wrong." Bella grumbles as she shoves another spoonful of vanilla ice cream into her own mouth.

I stare at her incredulously. Has she not been paying attention to my long rants on how she has done nothing wrong? What about my rants about what a complete walking, talking douche bag that guy is?

"Nothing! That's what you did wrong. Absolutely _nothing_!" I insist as I actually set the rest of my pizza back in the box. This matter is obviously more serious than I had at first believed. Unfortunately, my pizza, ice cream, and candies is no match for the level of upset my sister is in. I reach across our food that is spread out on our bedroom floor and grasp her shoulders with both of my hands.

"Look me in the eyes, Isabella Swan!" I demand give her shoulders a small shake. She rolls her eyes before doing as I say.

"Repeat after me. I, Isabella Swan…" I drift off waiting on her to comply.

She lets out an exasperated huff before reluctantly saying, "I, Isabella Swan."

"Am going to confront this douche bag and demand to know what his problem is because I did absolutely _nothing_ wrong! Zip! Nada! _None_ wrong!" I declare. I give her a glare when she doesn't immediately repeat my words.

"Am going to confront this douche bag. I am going to demand what his problem is. I did _nothing_ wrong." She says with more conviction than I was expecting. I decide to let it go that she didn't actually copy me word-for-word. She at least seems convinced now of what I have been trying to tell her all afternoon.

I nod my head at her before saying, "Good, good. Now hand me one of those sodas. It's been calling my name for the last hour!"

It doesn't take long after that for us to decide it's time for bed. We have pushed our beds back to their original positions – we both slept pretty rough last night.

"Goodnight Rory. I love you." Bella says to me as she pulls her blankets up around her.

"Goodnight Bells. I love you too." I say as I turn on right side to look at her. Bella is the only one brave enough to actually sleep next to the window. I have watched one too many horror movies to allow myself to sleep by _any_ window.

* * *

"Well, would you look at that, Bells," I say enthusiastically as I point out the window. "It's not raining today!"

Bella stops looking rifling through clothes in the closet to look past me out the window with a frown on her face, "It's still gray and gross."

I frown at her lack of enthusiasm.

"Today will be better than yesterday." I say with assurance.

She grumbles under her breath incoherently.

"Come on! It's not raining, we made some friends, _and_ you're going to confront the douche." I say in a somewhat peppy tone.

"Okay, maybe it won't be _that_ bad," She concedes. "Here's you a shirt." She adds as she tosses me a long-sleeved light blue shirt.

"Thanks." I say as I grab it and quickly slip it on. Jeans and a long-sleeve seem to be my go-to wardrobe here in Forks.

We eat breakfast with Dad in yet another awkward silence. At least he made us some fried eggs and bacon, which I must say is absolutely delicious. Turns out it is the _only_ thing he can cook, which might explain why they are so great. He has had plenty of time to master the skill for it. It doesn't take long for Bella to request that she be the cook in the house. Dad and I quickly agree that she would be the best one for the job. I cannot cook to save my life. Well, I guess that isn't completely true. I can cook food in the microwave _and_ the toaster.

"We'll go grocery shopping after school." Bella tells me as she searches through the cabinets in the kitchen. Turns out they are all empty.

"Sounds good to me," I say with a shrug. "Oh, please put toaster strudels on the list for me." I add as I watch her make a list of groceries. She nods and quickly writes that down.

The ride to school consists of me loudly, singing along to the radio and doing my best to pump Bella up for the showdown that shall take place in Biology when she confronts the idiot she sits beside. She refuses to even think about roundhouse kicking him, no matter how many times I try to convince her it is the only thing that will give this guy an attitude adjustment.

Mike chooses to sit on the left side of Bella in our English class. I can't help smile when I think about the fact that he more than likely has a crush on my sister. Back in Phoenix, Bella and I never really had boys interested in us. Well, I take that back. When I was in eighth grade, there was this one guy named Cole Johansson that had a small crush on me – or at least I think he did. He walked up to me when we were on lunch break. He told me liked me just as much as he liked Sally. Turns out Sally was his pet frog that he promptly shoved in my face enthusiastically. I hate bugs, amphibians, and reptiles. My reaction was to scream loudly and wail my arms around to get it away from me. I somehow managed to break his nose _and_ make him lose Sally. After that, boys had the tendency to avoid me.

Mike and Eric join our table today, with Mike sitting on Bella's left side and Eric on my right side. I think that they have come to some agreement as to who would get which twin's attention. _Boys,_ I think to myself as I roll my eyes. Don't get me wrong, it is flattering. It is nice to have someone interested in me, especially after the Cole incident, but I have more of a friendly vibe for Eric. I don't want him to get hurt when he realizes I do not reciprocate his affections.

I take my seat next to Mike in Biology. I look back at Bella to give her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. "You've got this." I mouth to her. She smiles back at me appreciatively and gives me a tentative thumbs up.

Turns out the encouragement was for nothing. Edward Cullen is not in school today. Oh well, it gives me more time to focus on Biology than worrying about Bella.

We actually get to participate in Volleyball today in gym class. The excitement I feel is enough for both Bella and I, which is good considering she hates it. I'm not a great player, but I do find it fun. I watch as Bella hits the ball and it nails a girl on our team in the head. I can't help it, the laughter bubbles out of me before I can control it.

"I'm sorry!" Bella cries apologetically, her face redder than a tomato. Bella glares at my laughing form.

"I'm sorry, it's not funny." I say as I try to hold my laughter back. Keyword being _try_. In my defense, I'm not laughing because the girl got hurt. I'm laughing because the _one_ time the ball is sent towards my sister, she causes bodily harm to someone. She's so clumsy.

The rest of the day goes smoothly, and I am beyond excited when the bell rings signaling the end of the school day. Bella and I walk out to the truck and quickly climb in. Both of us are ready to get out of here.

Bella might be able ignore the stares as she turns our noisy truck on, but I try my best to slink inconspicuously down into the seat.

"They do know you are in here too, ya know." She tells me as she pulls into the line of cars waiting to leave the parking lot.

"Yeah, maybe I should pass out ear plugs to everyone as an apology for the _Beast._ " I grumble which causes Bella to laugh.

"It _is_ pretty loud, but I think it gives _the thing_ character." She says.

"I knew you had to have a nickname for it too." I say with a laugh.

"Yeah, but my nickname for it is out of affection. All of yours are out of insult." She informs me.

I scoff at the idea that she could have affection for a truck.

It is raining by the time we make it to the grocery store. The store is a decent size considering how small Forks is. I follow Bella around like a puppy as she grabs things that are on her list. I occasionally toss items into the shopping cart, and Bella promptly takes them back out looking at me like I am a misbehaving child. I scoff when she informs me that "Next time you're staying in the truck."

We make it home and I help Bella bring all the groceries inside. I then promptly leave her to put them away. My sister has a system of how she likes the kitchen to be set up and I simply don't have time for that. I would toss anything into any cabinet and call it a day. That simply irritates her and causes unnecessary arguments. I learned a long time ago to just let her do her thing. She will call for me if she needs me.

I head into our room and decide to check my E-mail. I have been writing to mom since we made it here in Forks. There is sure to be an E-mail from her. There it is, one new message. I quickly read the E-mail.

 **Rory,**

 **I'm so happy to hear you are settling in and making friends.**

 **How is Bella doing? I haven't heard from her yet.**

 **Anyways, I love you and miss you so much. I can't wait to hear about your second day!**

 **Love,**

 **Mom**

I hadn't even noticed that Bella hadn't sent Mom an E-mail yet. I will have to remind her. I quickly write mom back a response.

 **Mom,**

 **First off, Bella's doing well; she's just been a busy bee.**

 **Today was a good day. It didn't rain until school ended and we got to play Volleyball.**

 **Bella nailed a girl in the head with the ball. It was hilarious.**

 **I love and miss you so much too!**

 **Love,**

 **Rory**

I get a quick shower and change into some comfy gray sweat pants with a matching gray long-sleeved. I run downstairs and see Bella putting food in the oven.

"What's for dinner?" I ask as I grab a glass and pour some milk into it.

"Steak and potatoes." Bella tells me as she sets a timer for the food in the oven.

"That sounds good, Bells." I say with a smile as I sit down at the table to drink my milk.

"I'm glad. Hopefully, Charlie will like it." She says as she sits in a chair next to me.

"I'm sure he will. I mean, the guy has been living off of eggs, bacon, and takeout." I reassure her.

We sit in a comfortable silence before I remember that Mom said she hadn't heard from Bella.

"Mom is waiting for you to write her." I inform her in a matter-of-fact tone which causes her eyes to widen.

"Oh! I meant to write her yesterday!" She says regretfully as she gets out of her chair so quickly that she trips on the leg of it. This causes milk to spew out of my mouth as I laugh at her which in turn causes her to start laughing as well.

"I'm going to go E-mail her now." She says as she heads out of the kitchen.

I finish my drink and put the glass in the sink. I grab a paper napkin and wipe the milk I spewed off the table. I head upstairs to see Bella shutting the computer down.

"Will you help me with the Biology homework?" I ask her as I sit on my bed.

"Yeah. Oh, and thanks for trying to whisper the correct answer to me in Trig." She says with a face that is a mixture of thankfulness and embarrassment.

Mr. Varner had called on Bella to answer a question in Trigonometry class today even though she didn't have her hand raised. I tried my best to tell her the answer, but she couldn't understand me and panicked with everyone staring at her. She got the answer wrong. I thought it was a douche move on the teacher's part. I actually had my hand raised, he should have called on me instead.

It doesn't take Bella long to help me with the Biology homework and I help her with Trig. I watch as she curls up on her bed to read her worn out _Wuthering Heights'_ book. I decide that I will read as well and choose _The Notebook._ It is a classic and I love how romantic it is.

I hear the front door open signaling that Dad has made it home from work. I look up startled when Bella takes off running – or should I say stumbling – out of the room muttering something about the potatoes. I put my book mark, which at the moment is an index card, in my book and set in on the dresser by my bed. I just make it out of the bedroom door when I hear Dad saying, "Girls, is that you?"

"Hey Dad, welcome home." I hear Bella say as she makes her way into the kitchen.

"Thanks." He replies as he puts his gun belt up on the rack back the front door.

"Hey Dad." I say as I make it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey Rory." He replies with a small smile.

"What's for dinner?" He asks Bella warily as we walk into the kitchen. I had already made it clear this morning that I will not be taking any part of cooking.

"Steak and potatoes." Bella tells him and we watch as his face looks relieved. Apparently, he remembers how inedible Mom's cooking is. I, obviously, got my cooking talent from her.

It doesn't take long before Dad decides to go watch TV instead of awkwardly standing in the kitchen. I sit at the table and watch as Bella prepares dinner. I may not be able to cook, but I do like to watch others cook. It looks like an art form to me. You have to do things in a certain way in order for it to turn out good.

Bella sets the table while I inform Dad that dinner is ready. He walks into the kitchen and sniffs the air.

"Smells good, Bells." He says appreciatively as he sits down at the table; Bella responds with a "Thanks."

I have a steak, baked potato, and a bowl of salad. Bella has always been an amazing cook in my eyes.

"Thank you, Bells." I say sincerely as I stuff a piece of steak in my mouth.

"You're welcome." She says as she smiles at me. She knows I would starve if I didn't have her in my life.

I'm starting to get use to the silence when we have meals. I will admit, I still miss the conversations with mom; but I guess the quietness isn't completely uncomfortable. It's now more like an annoying itch.

"So how are you two liking school? Have you made any friends?" Dad asks as he puts a second helping on his plate.

"School is school. I can't complain. We have made a few friends. Everyone is very welcoming." I answer before I take bite of my salad.

"Well, we have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. We sit with her at lunch. And there is this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice." Bella adds.

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid – nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off of the backpackers who come through here." Dad informs us.

"Do you know the Cullen family?" Bella asks hesitantly.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man." Dad responds.

I can't help but think that maybe the _great_ Dr. Cullen should have taught his son some manners. I make sure to keep food in my mouth during this conversation so that those thoughts don't come spewing out of my mouth in the form of word vomit. It's obvious Dad likes the family.

"They… the kids… are a little different. They don't seem to fit in at school." Bella says before taking a bite of her potato.

I watch in fascination as Dad's face turns red in anger. Who knew he would feel this strongly about the Cullen family?

"People in this town," He mutters. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," He continues, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him – lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all those kids are well-behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in with all those teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature – I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folk who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should – camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

I have to mentally tell myself to close my mouth that has been hanging open during Dad's rant. That is by far the most I have ever heard him talk in one sitting. I wonder how much he would praise Edward Cullen if he knew just how crappy he made Bella feel the other day. I decide it would definitely be in my best interest to keep that thought to myself though. He, apparently, feels very strongly about this.

"They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed that they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive." Bella says in an attempt to soothe Dad.

"You should see the doctor." Dad says, laughing. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

The table goes quiet once again. I can't help but wonder why Bella seems so fascinated with the Cullen family. Once we have all finished eating Dad clears the table while Bella starts washing the dishes. The lazy part of me wants to hightail it upstairs. I push that part away and begrudgingly go over to rinse the dishes as Bella washes. I resent the look of surprise on her face that I am actually helping. I make a face at her and luckily she loses the surprised look and instead just looks proud. _Proud!_ One would think I never do any housework.

I wait for Dad to go into the living room before I start questioning Bella.

"Why are you so interested in the Cullen family?" I ask her in a quiet tone.

"I just don't understand why they are basically outcasts." She replies in an equally quiet voice.

"Maybe they choose to be outcasts?" I say with a shrug, "I mean, look how friendly everyone is to us and we are new here."

"Maybe." She replies and I can hear the uncertainty.

We quickly finish the dishes and head upstairs where we work on the rest of our homework together.

"I think Mike has a crush on you." I say with a mischievous grin.

"No. No he doesn't." Bella insists while her face blushes.

"Mmmhmm." I hum.

"Regardless, I'm not into him like that." She says with an eye roll.

"Why not? He's a cute guy and he is friendly." I point out.

"He's too much like a Labrador retriever _and_ I'm pretty sure Jessica likes him." She states matter-of-factly.

"Okay, you got me there. She is definitely into him. And she is our friend, so you can't date him. Sorry, Bells." I say as I close my English binder.

"I don't know how I will deal with the heartbreak." She says sarcastically.

"Chocolate. Eat lots and lots of chocolate." I say as I get off the floor and walk towards my bed.

"Speaking of crushes, I'm pretty sure Eric has one on you, Rory." Bella says in a mischievous tone.

"Don't go there. Not happening." I deadpan as I climb into my bed.

"But," She starts but I cut her off with a "Goodnight, Bells."

"Goodnight." She says, laughing as she turns the light off.

I get comfortable under my blankets and fall asleep quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has viewed, reviewed, favorited, and followed. You are all great motivators. Jenny Morgan, I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. To mamapapababybear, I'm glad you like Rory and I hope you enjoy where her story goes; yes, there is a certain werewolf in her future and you will catch a glimpse of him in the chapter. Here's chapter 3, let me know what you think. Thank you!**

 _Weekend Fun_

The rest of the week has gone by pretty quickly. I can now find my way to my classes without following my sister around, although, I still do. Together we have mastered knowing the names of just about all of the students at Forks High School; which is a feat that could never have happened back in Phoenix.

Edward Cullen still hasn't returned to school and I'm glad he hasn't. Whenever Bella realizes that he is not at the lunch table with his family, she always instantly relaxes and joins in to the conversations with our peers. The only thing worth noting that happened this week is that our gym class quickly learned to not pass the ball to Bella. I guess they are all afraid of being nailed in the back of the head like Lauren Mallory. Turns out, Lauren doesn't care much for Bella and I. _Oops_.

I wake up this morning excited that it is Saturday – until I realize that I live in Forks now and there is absolutely nothing to do. I groan as I toss the comforter off of my body. I glance over at Bella's bed to see that it is made and she is no longer in it. I look at our alarm clock and see that it is 9:20 a.m.

I have no clue why I am even awake right now.

I decide to head downstairs and see what Bella wants to do today. I find her in the kitchen sitting at the table with Dad, both of them eating pancakes.

"Morning." I say announcing my presence which causes them to both look up at me.

"Good Morning, Rory." Dad says with a small smile before going back to his breakfast.

"Good Morning. I left your pancakes in the microwave," Bella says motioning to the microwave, "They should still be warm."

"Thank you!" I say with a grin, my darling sister is a life saver.

I quickly grab my food and sit down in my usual chair. I pour just enough syrup to cover my pancakes but not enough to soak them – sometimes less is more. I manage to demolish most of my breakfast before anyone chooses to speak.

"So what do you girls have planned for your first weekend here?" Dad asks after he has ate his last bite of pancake.

"I'm just going to clean and relax." Bella answers before eating her last bite.

I drop my fork onto my plate with a frown.

"Really, Bells? Clean and relax? Those two words don't even belong in the same sentence. Can't we do something at least a little fun?" I complain.

"Like you will help me clean, Rory. You'll be watching TV." Bella deadpans causing me to roll my eyes.

I gave up helping her clean long ago when I realized that my idea of clean and her idea of clean is two totally different concepts. If I can walk through the room and find what I am looking for, I consider that room clean. If Bella can walk into a room and see a dirty sock or two she considers it a mess. I love her to death but she is too responsible sometimes.

"I was going to head down to La Push to see Billy. You are more than welcome to come with me, Rory." Dad offers and I can tell that it would make him happy if I went. Our Dad loves spending time with us, even if he is slightly awkward.

"That sounds great. Come with us, Bells." I say with a smile. I hope Bella will get out of the house with us.

"I really have to do the laundry and I was going to get a head start on our reading list for English." Bella says and I know immediately there is absolutely no changing her mind.

"Are you sure?" I ask with a frown, "You'll be home alone." I add hoping to change her mind.

"Rory, I'm not like you and mom. I can be alone, it'll be okay." She says in a reassuring way, although, I can't help but take offense. Just because I don't like to be alone doesn't mean that I _can't_ be alone.

"Okay." I say shortly before stabbing at my remaining pancake and shoving it into my mouth.

"Rory, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not insulting you." She says sincerely, "Go have fun. You would be bored sitting here watching me clean."

I let out a sigh before nodding my head at her. I really just wish she would come with us. It would be good for all of us to get out together.

"Do I have time to get a shower before we leave?" I ask Dad as I bring my dishes to the sink _and_ rinse them.

"Yeah, that's fine." He replies before walking into the living room presumably to go to his favorite chair in front of the TV.

I take a quick shower and change into a comfortable yellow colored long-sleeved shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and my waterproof shoes. I opt to toss my hair up in a messy bun on the top of my head. I have no need to dress up for Billy or Jacob. They can take me as I am – which is fabulous.

I do my best to try and convince Bella to come with us one more time – it doesn't work. I convince myself that I will have a fun filled day even if she isn't with us. Halfway down to La Push the rain starts falling softly. I instantly regret not grabbing my parka. Maybe Jacob will lend me a jacket if we decide to go anywhere.

"Jake is going to be happy to see you." Dad says with a smile as we pass a sign that says 'Welcome to La Push'.

"I can't wait to see him. It's been a long time." I say with a smile.

"Should we have a talk about boys?" Dad asks with an amused smile although I see his cheeks tint a light pink.

"No! Absolutely not!" I exclaim with a small laugh which causes him to laugh too.

Everyone assumed that Jacob and I had a thing for each other when we were younger based on the fact that we were inseparable during my summers with Dad. That is simply not the case. He was always more like the brother I never had. An amazing friend, but nothing more.

It doesn't take long before we pull into a driveway and a small wooden home comes into view. The home has narrow windows and dull red paint making it resemble a tiny barn. Seeing the Blacks' little house hits me with a moment of nostalgia.

Dad parks the car and we climb out. The front door to the house opens before we even make it onto the front porch. Billy Black rolls his wheelchair onto the porch to greet us with big smile on his deeply wrinkled, dark russet-skinned face. Jacob has that same infectious smile.

"Rory! It's so good to see you!" Billy announces loudly with a huge grin as I step on to the porch.

I grin back at him, "It's so good to see you too, Billy!" I say as I lean down and give him a hug which he gladly returns.

"You're Dad hasn't shut up about you and Bella coming for the last few months." He informs me as he lets me go which causes me to laugh.

"Shut up old man!" Dad retorts while laughing.

"Come in! Come in!" Billy insists as he motions for us to go inside.

"Where's Jacob?" I ask as we make our way inside.

The tiny living room looks the same as it did years ago. The same old brown sofa, brown coffee table, and old TV.

"He's in his room." Billy says before yelling out, "Jake!"

"Yeah Dad?" Jacob questions as he walks out of the hallway leading into the living room; his eyes go wide and he smiles when he see me, "Rory?!"

"Hey Jake!" I say with smile and walk towards him to give him a hug that he returns with a bear hug of his own.

"Wow! You got tall, Jacob!" I exclaim when he sits be down, "What do they feed you?"

"I'm 5'10. How short are you?" He says while laughing.

"5'4" I grumble.

"I passed you up a couple of years ago." He informs me with a smug smile which causes me to grimace.

I give him a once over, his height definitely makes him look older than 15; although, he still has some baby like roundness to his face. He has a lanky build, and his long black hair is pulled back in a low ponytail. His dark brown eyes still have the same twinkle in them that makes him look like he is constantly happy. I definitely missed his infectious happiness.

"It's good to see you, Jake." I say sincerely with a smile.

"You too, Rory." He smiles back before gesturing to the couch, "Want to sit down?"

I nod my head and make my way over to the couch. Dad and Billy are in the kitchen talking about some football game – or maybe baseball?

"So where's Bella?" He asks as he looks around.

"At home, cleaning." I say with a shrug which causes him to laugh.

"She still acts like she's 40?" He asks with a grin.

"It gets worse the older she gets." I respond with a smirk.

An hour passes with Jacob and me simply catching up. He is one of the only people I know that you can spend years away from and still feel completely comfortable around. He makes it feel like no time has passed. I learn about his two best friends, Quil and Embry. I tell him how my first week back in Forks went.

"Jake, can you go up to the store and get us some milk?" Billy asks as he rolls into the living room.

"Yeah, Dad." Jacob responds before looking at me, "You want to go? It's just up the road."

"Sure. Do you have a jacket I can borrow?" I ask as I stand up.

"Yeah, hold on." He responds before he runs down the hall presumably to his room.

He returns a minute later wearing a black waterproof jacket and hands me a gray one.

"Thank you." I say as I put it on.

"You're welcome." He says as we head towards the front door.

"You two be careful." Dad calls out to which he gets a chorus of "We will."

The rain is still just a soft flow so it isn't too bad to walk in. Looking at Jake, I can tell he is used to this.

"Dad would have let me drive us in the truck if Charlie wasn't here." Jacob informs me with a small grin.

"Ah, nothing like having the Police Chief as a best friend." I say with a wry smile.

"It's not so bad. He overlooks it when I drive Dad over to your house to watch the games."

"So you don't want to push it?"

"Exactly."

"So Bella and I were invited to go to the beach down here by some of our friends from school. You should come." I tell him as the store comes in sight.

"When?" He asks.

"In a month. Mike said the weather is supposed to be clear."

"I'll be there."

"Awesome." I say as we walk into the small grocery store.

We quickly get the milk and pay for it. As we leave, Jake asks me if it's okay if we stop by an automotive shop to see if they have a part that he needs. He told me earlier how he is rebuilding an old Volkswagen Rabbit which Billy is letting him do due to the fact that our Dad bought their old truck. He was a little too overly enthusiastic that _he_ doesn't have to drive the truck. Apparently, you should never try to go over 55 mph. When I asked why, he simply said "Just don't." Well, okay then.

When we walk into the automotive shop and my nose is instantly filled with the smell of oil, gasoline, and the soap they use to get the grease off of their hands. We are approached by an older man wearing grease stained coveralls.

"Hey Jacob! What can I help you with?" He asks with a smile on his face.

"Hey Mr. James," Jacob says with a smile, "I was wondering if you had some sparks plugs I could have?"

"Hold on, I'll get Paul to help you." Mr. James says as he leads us farther into the shop.

We come to a stop behind a guy that has the top half of his body underneath the hood of an old rusted blue car. Unlike the Mr. James, this guy is wearing grease stained blue jeans and a black t-shirt. I can't help but watch as his russet skinned, toned arms flex as he does whatever the heck it is he is doing.

"Paul." Mr. James says getting the guys attention, causing him to put the tool down he was using and turn to face us, "I need you help Jacob get some spark plugs."

Paul is the same height as Jacob, has a toned, athletic build. If I had to guess, I would assume he played sports. His black hair is short and somewhat spikey. He has the darkest, chocolate brown eyes that I have ever seen. There is an intensity behind them that makes you feel like he can see straight through you. He is the definition of tall, dark, and handsome.

"Yes, Sir." Paul says which causes Mr. James to walk away, apparently satisfied with the answer.

"Jacob." Paul acknowledges Jacob with a nod to which Jacob does a similar motion while saying, "Paul."

Paul's eyes find me. He looks me up and down before giving me a lazy grin which causes me to give a shy smile in return.

"Who is this?" He asks Jacob.

"This my friend, Rory. Chief Swan's daughter." Jacob informs him.

"I'm Paul Lahote." Paul introduces himself with the same lazy grin from before.

"It's nice to meet you." I say with grin in return, I do my best to ignore the blush I feel creeping up my cheeks.

"You too, Rory." He replies still grinning at me.

"So. Those spark plugs?" Jacob says after a moment of Paul and me staring at each other.

"Right this way." Paul says with a smirk before leading us over to get the items and takes us over to a cash register.

"She'll be down at the beach in a month. You could show up and talk to her." Jacob says casually as he grabs the bag, "Just so ya know.

"Jacob!" I hiss glaring up at him.

"Maybe I will." Paul says with a grin and he winks at me.

Oh. My. God. He _winked_ at me.

Flabbergasted, all I can manage a grin in return.

Jacob and I make it outside the shop before he starts laughing – laughing at me.

"I can't believe _you_ got shy and blushed," He chokes out in between laughter, "Aurora Swan, I would never have believed it if I didn't see it myself."

"That was the most attractive guy that has ever looked at me." I say in defense of myself.

"Gee, thanks." Jacob says dryly before adding, "He liked you."

"What? How can you possibly know that?!" I demand, wide-eyed.

"Because I know Paul Lahote – Well know of him," Jacob states, "I've been going to school with him for years. He at least found you attractive. Just trust me."

I can't help the smile that forms on my face. The idea that such an attractive guy would find me attractive is a shocking, yet a pleasant feeling.

"Is he a good guy?" I question hesitantly, looking up at Jacob.

Jacobs slings his left arm over my shoulder as he carries the bags in his right hand, "Do you _really_ think I would have told him to come talk to my best friend if he wasn't? Come on, Rory, you know me better than that."

I roll my eyes as I smile up at him, "Thanks Jake."

"Sure, Sure." Jacob says good-naturedly, "And I don't know why you seemed surprise that 'the most attractive guy ever' would look at you. You're beautiful, Rory." He adds rolling his eyes.

"You really think so?" I inquire, looking at his face for any sign of dishonesty.

"Definitely." He says in a sincere tone with a smile to match.

"Thanks, Jacob." I say with a smile as I give his side a squeeze.

Dad and I say our goodbyes after a few more hours of visiting. I make Jacob promise me that he will come hang out with us at the beach. In return, I promise that I will come back and see him and Billy. A promise I fully intend to keep.

It doesn't take long for us to get home where we find that Bella has indeed cleaned the house top-to-bottom. She already has dinner ready for us – tacos. _Yum_. We all sit around eating dinner, and talk about how the day went.

"So I met a really cute guy today." I inform Bella as we both sit in our beds.

"Really? What's his name?" She inquires with a smile.

"His name is Paul. He works at the automotive shop down in La Push." I start with a smile on my face before adding, "Jacob said he is a good guy… and insists that he finds me attractive but I don't know."

"You're Aurora Swan. You are beautiful and intelligent. Why wouldn't he be attracted to you?" Bella asks incredulously, "Why wouldn't any guy be attracted to you?"

"You would have to see him, Bells. I pale in comparison." I say dramatically as I fall back on my pillow and stare up at the ceiling.

"Is that a joke because he is naturally tan?" Bella asks with a laugh that causes me to laugh at the irony of the statement.

"He said he might come to the beach when we are there." I state glancing over at Bella.

"Who? Paul or Jacob?" Bella asks curiously looking back over at me.

"Both. But Jacob basically told Paul to come to the beach and talk to me." I say feeling the blush returning to my cheeks just thinking about it.

"That will be great." Bella says, "And listen, if he really is a good guy he will realize how amazing you are, Rory. If not, his loss."

"Thanks, Bells. I love you." I say with a sincere smile.

"I love you, too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews. GraceEllingson and NanciDrew, I am so glad you both enjoyed the last chapter; I hope you will enjoy this one as well. Here's chapter 5, let me know what you think. Thank you.**

 _Different_

I spend my Sunday dancing around the house while screaming the lyrics to various Disney movies; and messaging Mom all about Paul from the Auto Shop. Sure, I don't have much to say other than the fact that his looks and voice are dreamy; but with Mom none of that matters. Mom's suggestions of getting down and _greasy_ with him made Bella cringe _and_ blush when I showed her. She then proceeds to leave the room, grumbling about how Renee and I read too many romance novels.

Monday comes quickly and surprisingly, it isn't raining. Unfortunately, it _is_ a lot colder. Which is completely worse in my honest opinion. I don't _like_ the rain; but I _can_ tolerate it. Cold weather, on the other hand, I simply cannot do. It puts me in a grouchy mood just thinking about it. Leaving the house with Bella, I resemble the Michelin man with all the layers of clothes I have piled on.

At school, we are greeted by our classmates. I would be lying if I said it didn't boost my confidence at least a little. Back in Phoenix, it was just Bella and me. I can tell that Bella likes the friends we have made as well. This is evident when I see her smiling and waving back to them. We have a pop quiz on _Wuthering Heights_ in English. You would think I would ace it seeing as I did this back in Phoenix. Apparently, I hated the book more than I realized and I retained barely any knowledge from it. I will be extremely lucky if I get a _D_ on this quiz _._ I avoid looking at Bella's face, I don't think I can bare to see that satisfied ' _I told you so'_ look that will be there. She has been bugging me to read the dang book since I came home Saturday. I don't feel the need to let her know that she was right.

Eric makes sure to glue himself to my side after the bell rings. I step out of the classroom behind Mike and I can feel the cold biting at my cheeks and nose. The wind causes my eyes to sting. I frown when I notice snow flurries.

"Well, this is just great." I groan in annoyance while wrapping my arms tightly around myself hoping to block out some of the cold wind.

"You don't like the snow?" Eric asks with a bewildered look on his face.

"No," I scrunch my nose up in disgust, "This isn't even snow. It's slush." I complain.

"You can still have fun with the _slush_." He says with a laugh as he mocks my choice of word.

"Oh yeah, prove it!" I challenge looking at him with wide eyes.

"Okay." He says simply.

I watch curiously as he nods his head to himself and leans down to scoop a handful of slush in his hand. He stands up straight, sends me a sideways glance and a grin before launching the snow at Mike who is a few feet ahead of us walking with Bella. It smacks Mike in the back of the head which causes him and Bella to turn around and look at us. I burst out laughing, while Eric tries to inconspicuously walk in the opposite direction. I watch as Mike leans down to grab his own handful of snow to retaliate. I take this as my cue to catch up with Bella.

I learn very quickly that this is the first snowfall of the year. It's all my fellow classmates can talk about. It would seem that Bella and I are the only ones who do not share in the excitement. Sure, snowball fights look fun; problem is, I get too cold to enjoy it.

Bella and I make our way to the cafeteria with Jessica. People are having snowball fights everywhere we look. This fact has prompted Bella to carry a binder around with her all day as a deflection device. Jessica and I have can't help but laugh at her. I'm surprised no one has tossed a snowball our way, although, I guess my promise of a torturous death has kept even the bravest from trying.

Mike and Eric join us in the lunch line. Mike, Eric, and Jessica all talk animatedly about a snowball fight they are all planning after school. I guess the deadpanned expression on my face is enough of an answer when they ask if I want to join. _Nope_.

I watch as Bella's demeanor changes. She comes to a complete stop in front of Jessica and me in the lunch line. I follow her line of view and see that Edward Cullen has apparently returned to school. I send a scowl his way, even though he hasn't even glanced this way. I turn my attention back to our group when I hear Jessica trying to get Bella's attention.

"Hello? Bella? What do you want?" Jessica questions as she nudges Bella's arm.

"What's wrong with Bella?" Mike asks as Bella looks down.

"Nothing," Bella replies, "I'll just get soda today."

"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asks.

"Actually, I feel a little sick." Bella responds, her eyes still on the floor.

"You want to go home?" I ask concerned.

"No. I'll be okay." Bella reassures, finally looking up.

"Get a pizza for me, please." I tell her.

I give her a pointed look letting her know we will be talking about this later. I get a nod in return.

We all take note of Bella's silence as we sit at the table. I nudge her with my arm as I grab the pizza off of her tray to put on mine. She looks up at me and I mouth "You've got this." She nods her head at me and I watch as her eyes drift across the room to a certain table. I spare a glance to the Cullens' table to see them all laughing, all of the boys' hair is drenched in snow.

"Bella, Rory, what are you staring at?" Jessica intrudes, her own eyes following the direction of ours.

I watch as Edwards eyes snap in our direction. He spares a glance my way, but then his sights are firmly set on Bella who quickly looks away. I feel no shame at the fact that I am basically staring this guy down. I am scrutinizing his face to see if he has even a hint of ill feelings towards my sister. Luckily for him, I only see curiosity and hint of something else that I cannot distinguish. I don't see the hate-filled glare he sent her on our first day.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you." I hear Jessica say while giggling in Bella's ear. I hope she doesn't think that _that_ is considered whispering.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" Bella questions.

"No," Jessica says confused, "Should he be?"

"I don't think he likes me," Bella confides as she put her head down on her arm. I gently pat her on the back.

"The Cullens don't like anybody… well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you." Jessica informs her.

"Stop look at him." Bella hisses which causes me to laugh and Jessica to snicker.

"Leave her alone, Jess. She's not used to so much attention." I tease which causes Bella to attempt to kick me under the table. She misses.

I try to hide the smile on my face when we all leave the cafeteria and see the snow being washed away by rain. Pulling my hood up, I share a look with Bella. We are both pleased with this turn of events.

I sit next to Mike in our Biology class and we both groan when we see Mr. Banner distributing microscopes and a box of slides.

"Are you any good at this?" Mike asks with a hopeful expression.

"Umm… I did projects like this in Phoenix." I say hesitantly.

"That's great!" Mike beams at me which causes me to grimace.

"I had a _C_ in Biology."

"Oh." He frowns.

"Oh." I agree.

I look back at Bella to sit Edward sitting next to her. They are talking; I don't see any frowns, and they aren't yelling… I guess it's going good. Which is lucky for him, I did take a self-defense course with Mom. I'm not afraid to practice some of the moves if he treats my sister like he did last time. I watch as his eyes flash towards me briefly. He looks amused. I look at Bella, who is looking at me, and give her a smile. I feel relief when she smiles back. I know everything is fine.

My attention is quickly captured by Mr. Banner. We have to work as partners to sort out the slides in the boxes. The slides have onion root tip cells in various phases of mitosis. We cannot use our book and in twenty minutes he will come around to check our progress.

Mike and I do okay as a team. I can at least remember the difference between anaphase and prophase. It's the rest we have a few problems with. In the end, we get two of five correct. We shrug it off and consider it better than nothing. I watch closely as Mr. Banner illustrates on the overhead projector exactly how to tell the difference between all of the phases. Hopefully, I will get them all right when the time comes to test on them.

Mike and I meet up with Bella as the bell rings.

"That was awful," Mike groans. "They all look exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."

His comment manages to offend Bella and me, both.

"Hey!" I object, insulted. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have gotten even two of them correct!"

"I know. Sorry." Mike apologizes.

"I didn't have any trouble with it," Bella says before quickly adding, "I've done the lab before, though."

I roll my eyes. _Nice save, Bells._

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," Mike comments as we all put on our raincoats. I can tell he isn't happy about it.

"He better have been." I say as Bella says, "I wonder what was with him last Monday."

"Maybe it was his time of the month." I suggest with a snicker.

Gym goes by quickly and I am so happy that the school day is over. Bella quickly turns the heater on in the truck, and we both situate ourselves for the ride home. I see Bella staring at Edward Cullen leaning against the Volvo. He in return, is staring intently in this direction.

"Someone has a crush on you." I say in a sing-song voice.

Bella apparently doesn't appreciate my humor as she quickly throws the truck in reverse. A second later she is slamming on breaks so that she doesn't hit a rusty Toyota Corolla. My heart has leaped into my throat as I stare at my sister wide eyed.

"What the hell, Bella?" I demand.

"Sorry." She responds and then carefully pulls the truck out.

While staring at her, eyes still wide, I see Edward Cullen laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: As always, thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews. Katkloss, Storythriver123, Booklover345, and shaynakasdan (I don't know why it will not let me put the period in there) I am so glad you are all enjoying the story. It makes me so happy that you like Rory and that I have kept Bella in character. Paul will make another appearance soon! Here's chapter 6, let me know what you think. Thank you!**

 _Accident Prone_

"Okay, it's later," I start my interrogation, "What did you two talk about?"

I have been waiting for the details of her encounter with Edward Cullen ever since we left Biology. I have been patient – for the most part – and my patience has reached its end. I watch from my bed as Bella climbs into her own bed. She sighs dramatically while rolling her eyes.

"It wasn't a big deal." She insists, "He just asked about the move and how I was liking Forks."

It is now my turn to let out a sigh and roll my eyes, "That's it? Nothing else?"

She shakes her head, "Nothing else. That's it."

"I barely spoke to Paul and I was able to give you a better story than that." I complain, frowning at her.

"You're like Mom. You could make a trip to the dentist sound like an adventure," Bella says as she lies her head down, "I'm just not a good story teller."

"Okay, just tell me this. Do you like him?" I am grasping at straws here.

"I don't know him." She states as if it should be obvious.

"Bella." I groan staring at her with pleading eyes.

In response she simply turns off the light. I huff in annoyance, I don't understand why it is so hard for my sister to admit when she has a crush on someone.

I just close my eyes when I hear her mumble, "Maybe."

"Maybe." I repeat with a grin.

I wake up to the sound of Bella groaning. I squint my eyes towards the window to see her blurry figure standing there.

"What's wrong?" I ask groggily.

"It snowed," Bella says in horror, "and there is ice everywhere."

I let out my own annoyed groan and throw my blanket over my head, "I'm staying home today."

My blanket is ripped from my head and I glare up at Bella's stern looking face.

"No you're not," She chastises, "Now, get up."

"Yes, Mom." I say with every ounce of sarcasm I can muster.

I roll my eyes at her self-satisfied smirk as I climb out of bed.

After eating a healthy breakfast which consists of pound of sugar and cereal, I follow Bella out to the truck. I burst out laughing as Bella slips on the icy driveway, her only saving grace being the side mirror of the truck that she is clinging to. Still laughing, I do my best to make it to the passenger side of the truck. I find out quickly that Karma is a very real thing when I find myself slipping and landing on my butt. I can hear Bella laughing, and I try very hard to be mad… I fail.

"Shut up!" I yell to her between my own chuckles as I grab onto the truck to pull myself up.

It doesn't take a genius to tell that Bella is in a good mood. Dare I say she even seems excited when we pull into the school parking lot? I stare at her bewildered as she turns the truck off.

"Why are you so happy?" I demand.

"What? Am I not allowed to be happy?" Bella retorts as she opens the truck door.

Realization dawns on me, "You're excited to see your Biology partner, aren't you?"

Her wide eyes and red cheeks give her away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She says quickly as she closes the door.

I quickly exit the truck and stare over at her over the truck's bed.

"Yes, you do!" I accuse with a grin.

She looks around to make sure no one is looking at us before hissing at me, "Alright, alright. Now shut up."

"Okay." I say with a smile as I raise my hands up in a mock surrender.

 _I knew she liked him._

I lean my body back into the truck to retrieve my bag from the middle of the seat when I hear a high-pitch squealing noise. I glance out the back window to see what the noise is coming from. I watch in horror as a dark blue van with its tires locked causing a piercing squealing noise, comes spinning directly towards the back of our truck – Bella is directly in its path.

I don't even have time to scream before the van hits the back of the truck causing me to tumble into the floor board. My heart starts pounding, I swear I can hear blood flowing in my ears. Tears pour down my face and panic sets into my system as I let out a shriek, "Bella!"

I rush across the seat and force the driver side door open. I tumble out onto the ground, ignoring the screams of those around. I tumble out onto the asphalt and crawl my way over to my sister… who is sitting up on the ground next to _Edward Cullen_?

I ignore him as I grab my sister's face between my hands. I search for any sign of injury, tears still pouring down my face.

"Bella," I whimper, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Bella says nodding her head, "Edward pulled me out of the way."

I follow her eyes as she looks toward Edward.

"Thank you." I say more sincere than I have ever been.

"You're welcome." He replies just as sincere.

I give him a small smile, which he returns before turning my attention back to Bella.

"You scared me." I tell her with a heavy sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry." She says sincerely.

It doesn't take long for everyone to find us. All of them have tears streaming down their faces, just like me. It takes six EMT's, Mr. Varner, and Coach Clapp to move the van enough to bring stretchers in. I assure them that I am completely fine; Edward follows suit by vehemently refusing his. Poor Bella attempts to refuse her own stretcher. Edward tells the EMT's that Bella probably has a concussion. I can almost feel the heat from the glare she sends his way when she is forced to have a neck brace put on.

I catch a ride with Dad to the hospital. I would attempt to ease his worry, if I wasn't so worried myself. The one thing that plays over and over in my mind is that I almost lost my sister today. I almost lost my twin, my best friend. The one person who has been by my side for the last seventeen years. If it wasn't for Edward Cullen pulling her out of the way, she wouldn't be here. How can I possibly repay him? How do I put into words just how grateful I am? Is it even possible?

Dad and I wait in the waiting room for Bella to be released. I fidget in the uncomfortable, plastic hospital chair. The smell of ammonia burns my nose, only adding to my anxiety. After another five minutes, I have had about all I can take. I have to move.

"Dad, I'm going to use the restroom." I say as I stand up. He gives me a nod.

I walk down a couple of different hallways and just when I spot the restrooms I see Edward Cullen walking a few of doors down.

"Edward!" I call out.

He stops walking and turns to stare at me. I quickly walk to him.

"Rory." He greets me with a small smile.

"I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate what you did for Bella." I say as I shuffle my feet and my eyes dart around the hallway. I can't explain the awkwardness – the discomfort – I feel standing in front of him.

"You don't have to thank me." He assures me, "But you're welcome."

"I never asked before, but are you okay?" I ask, my eyes finally meeting his. My eyes widen slightly when I notice their unusual color. I have never seen eyes that are golden in color. _Strange._

"I'm fine." He assures me with a tight smile, "I'm sure Bella will be out soon."

Why do I get the feeling that he is dismissing me? I decide not to dwell on it and take me leave after I tell him 'thank you' one more time.

By the time that I make it back to the waiting room half the school is here. I grimace knowing that this will just further embarrass Bella. She's had a rough day… Too bad we didn't take my advice and simply stay home today.

It doesn't take Bella long to come out. She assures Dad and me that she is completely fine.

"What did the doctor say?" Dad inquires as we make out way out to the cruiser.

"Dr. Cullen saw me, he said I am fine," Bella insists, "Let's go."

The ride home is silent. I guess all of us are lost in thought. My thoughts are plagued with what ifs. I notice Dad fidget when he turns the cruiser off.

"Umm… you'll need to call Renee." Dad informs Bella while hanging his head down guiltily.

"You called Mom!" It wasn't a question, and Bella is completely appalled.

"Sorry." Dad mutters.

Bella slams the cruiser door shut with more force than necessary. Dad and I share a look behind her back, both thinking the same thing. _Oops._


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited. Just a heads up, I edited the date for the beach trip; I jumped a little ahead of myself before. Shaynakasdan I'm so glad you love the idea of this story and like it so far. Booklover345 I'm so glad you love this story. I agree, Bella would definitely not tell her sister. I'm happy to see that you like where I am going with this. Here's chapter 7, to be honest I am really nervous about how this one turned out. Please let me know what you think about it… What you like or dislike about it. Thank you!**

 _See you again_

The weeks pass by in a blur.

For a week straight, Bella is the center of attention at school – much to her dismay.

Tyler Crowley has taken it upon himself to be at her beck and call. Turns out that Tyler is the one who was driving the van that almost crushed my sister. I momentarily feel guilty that I had not been concerned enough to find out who was driving the van on my own – but I rationalize to myself that I was simply distraught about my twin's near death experience. My sister comes first. Always.

Bella had also spent that week telling everyone of Edward's heroic deed in saving her life. Jessica, Mike, Eric, and everyone else always comment on how they didn't even know Edward was near the crash site. They only realized he was there when the van was moved. I take notice on how Bella seems puzzled when she hears this.

Quite frankly, she has seemed lost in thought ever since the accident happened. She always looks like she is trying to find the answer to some huge question. Of course, when I ask her about it she simply brushes it off. She avoids the topic completely. I have heard her say 'Oh, it's nothing' so many times that I have given up. If she wants to be in her own little closed off world, who am I to question it? Oh wait, I'm her _twin_. Why on Earth would she not let me into her little world? I tell her _everything_! Is it so bad that I expect the same in return? Eh.

Mike informs us that since the snow and ice have all melted away that our beach trip is coming up soon. I try my best not to get too excited at the thought that I just _might_ see Paul again. It's been about a month since the _first_ and _only_ time I have ever even seen the guy. What are the odds that he would remember me? I'm just Aurora Swan, an ordinary girl without anything that makes me distinctly different from the other girls around here. Unless he likes redheads… I am a rarity in that category at least. I guess if he doesn't show up at the beach, I could always break something on the truck so I would have a reason to go by the Auto shop. I wonder if Jacob would help me so that I don't break something that is _too_ expensive to replace. Ha. Bella would have a cow.

On the first Tuesday of March, Jessica calls Bella to get Bella's _permission_ to ask Mike to the girls' choice spring dance that is in two weeks. Bella assures her that we don't even plan on going to the dance. Well, this is certainly news to me.

"Fine, but we _are_ going to Prom." I inform Bella with a glare; daring her to fight me about it.

"Whatever you say." Bella replies with an eye roll.

The next day, we both have a hunch that Mike must have turned Jessica down. The usual bubbly girl is quiet and distant. Our suspicion is confirmed by Mike. Bella insists that he go with Jessica to the girls' choice dance. I make sure to walk ahead of them so that I don't have to hear her long explanation as to why she isn't even going to the dance. When poor Eric asks me to the dance, I simply tell him that Bella won't allow me to go.

"What do you mean?" He asks incredulously, his eyebrows raised.

"She is dragging me to God knows where with her." I say with a shrug, "She's a fun sucker, that one."

"Maybe next time then…"

"Maybe."

I catch sight of Bella talking to Edward every now and then. Sometimes their exchange is friendly, sometimes it's heated. I don't have a clue what's going on there. That's yet another thing I have given up asking her about. I have come to the conclusion that she must not want me to know anything about any romance she might – or might not – have. And I'm not sure how I am supposed to feel about it.

The craziest thing to happen is the day that Bella sits at a table with Edward Cullen at lunch. Was I invited? Er, no. No I was not. Instead I get to sit with the rest of our friends. The friends, who like me, have no freaking clue what is going on with my sister and Edward Cullen. Why am I in the group of people who don't know anything? I should be the first to know. We have told each other everything since the day we learned to talk. I just don't understand.

Then a day later, she nearly passes out in Biology due to the fact that we are doing blood typing. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand being squeamish when it comes to blood. I'm such a baby that I basically beg Mike to prick my finger for me as I close my eyes. Now what I don't understand? Her skipping school for the rest of the day with non-other than Edward Cullen.

"So, you and Edward Cullen?" My crossed arms and raised eyebrow makes it obvious to her how annoyed I am.

"He isn't sure if we should be friends or not." She says with a sigh as she sits on her own bed.

"What?" I hiss in disbelief, "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," She says with a shrug, "He wants to take us to Seattle when we go."

Seattle. That is where Bella has been telling everyone we will be going instead of the dance. Dad had been pretty concerned when she had told him. He informed us that that was a huge city for just us two girls to be going to.

"I'm going to hang out with Jacob that day instead." I inform her, staring hard at her face to gauge her reaction.

"Okay." She replies nonchalantly which causes me to roll my eyes.

"So… anything else other than you're maybe friend wanting to drive you to Seattle?" I inquire.

"There's nothing else to tell." She insists with another shrug, "We just talked."

"Well, do you still like him?" I demand exasperated.

"Maybe." She replies with a small smile.

I roll my eyes again, I guess that's as good as I'm going to get.

The day of our beach trip is finally here and I have decided to not let anything bring me down. I'm going to put away my aggravation towards my sister for her secretive ways. I _can_ be a big girl and realize that she doesn't have to share everything with me. I can – I hope.

The sky has a large patch of blue and the sun shines down. Today will be a good day.

Bella pulls the truck into the parking lot of Newton's Olympic Outfitters.

"There's Mike's suburban and Tyler's Sentra." Bella points out to me as she parks next to Mike's vehicle.

"Looks like the gangs all here." I remark as everyone standing in front of the suburban.

Altogether, there is Eric, Mike, Ben, Connor, Jessica, Angela, Lauren, and three other girls I'm not sure of their names. One of the girl's is a girl that Bella fell over in gym class last week. She sees us and whispers something to Lauren.

Probably something nasty.

Lauren has been a snot to Bella ever since Bella sat with Edward Cullen at lunch. Seeing as she has a problem with Bella; I officially have a problem with Lauren. I make sure to sneer at her when she makes eye contact with me. She glares back at me, flips her hair, and turns to talk to her companion.

"You came!" Mike calls, delightedly. "And I said it would be a sunny day, didn't I?"

"We said we would." Bella reminds him.

"The weather _is_ nice." I say with a smile to which he smiles back at me.

"We're just waiting for Samantha and Lee… Unless you've invited someone." Mike says with his eyes glued to Bella.

"Nope." Bella says lightly. I watch as her left eye twitches – a sure sign that my dear sister is lying. Mike is apparently fooled though, if his satisfied smile is anything to go by.

On the ride to the beach, I am situated between Eric and Angela in the back seat of Mike's suburban. Bella is sitting shotgun – per Mike's request – with Jessica squeezed in between her and Mike. Bella put Jessica in between them in an attempt to appease her.

First Beach has always been beautiful. Dad brought us here many times during our summers with him. The water is gray in color and heaves itself onto the gray, rocky shore. I don't know how a _gray_ beach manages to look beautiful, but this one does. The color simply works for it in a way that I cannot explain. Cliffs rise out of the harbor, adding the beauty of the beach.

We all follow Mike as we make our way down the beach. He brings us to a ring of driftwood logs – an obvious set up for parties. There is already a spot there to light a fire. Eric and Ben gather dry branches and set them up in a teepee shape.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Mike asks Bella and me as he crouches down and uses a lighter to light a small twig on fire.

"No." Bella and I respond simultaneously as he places the blazing twig onto the teepee of branches.

"You'll like this then – watch the colors." He lights another small branch and lies it by the first one.

"It's blue," Bella says in surprise when the flame catches onto the dry wood.

"That's awesome." I gasp excitedly.

"The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?" Mike says as he lights one more piece of wood before sitting next to Bella.

We all chat for about half an hour when some of the boys decide they want to go on a hike to see the tidal pools. Bella had always loved to tidal pools when we were younger – even though she fell in them at times. I, on the other hand, never cared for them much. I would rather swim in the ocean than stare at the tiny aquariums. They are pretty, but I've just never been fascinated by them. I decide not to go, but I urge Bella to go. It doesn't take much to persuade her as soon as she learns that Lauren is staying behind on the beach. The girls that I don't know decide to stay on the beach as well as Tyler and Eric.

After fifteen minutes of chatting with Eric, I sneak away and decide to walk along the shore line. I take my shoes off and hold them in my left hand as I walk along the shore so that the white-capped waves can wash across my feet. The water has a definite chill to it, but I ignore the cold. The wind blows lightly across my face, and I embrace the serene feeling that only a beach can give me. I look on at the seagulls flying around.

"Rory Swan?" A deep, familiar voice startles me causing my heart rate to speed up.

I turn around quickly and I find myself staring at the one and only, Paul Lahote.

My eyes run over him as he walks towards me. He is wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt that shows off his toned, tanned arms. How can someone make a t-shirt and jeans look so good? My mouth just went dry.

"Paul Lahote." I say with a smile.

He smiles when I say his name, obviously satisfied that I remember him. But that smile, oh my. His gorgeous smile lights up his whole face. He has one of those smiles, which you would do just about anything to see – and I do mean _anything_.

"I knew you would remember me." He smirks, confidence radiating in his voice. He comes to stand directly in front of me. There is about a foot between us causing my eyes to be level with his collar bone. I crane my neck to look into his dark brown eyes. I try my best to ignore my pounding heart and the butterflies in my stomach.

"You _knew_?" I grin up at him, "How could you possibly know something like that?"

"Because I remembered you." There he goes, staring intently into my eyes, "And I know you were checking me out that day…"

"What –" I feel my face flush.

"And I know you liked what you saw." He winks at me with a grin on his face.

I blink at him, not entirely sure how to respond.

"Well, you obviously liked what you saw too." I accuse, "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

"Never said I didn't." He smirks at me. I swear my heart is about to break through my rib cage.

"So, did you just come to the beach alone or…?" I trail off as I turn and start walking again.

"I technically came with Jacob and his two friends." He informs me as he starts walking on my left side. He is walking so close to me that his arm brushes against my own, sending tingles up my arm throughout my body. I swallow thickly.

"Technically?" I question raising an eyebrow. I tilt my head sideways so I can see his face. I watch as a smirk appears.

"Well, I would have bailed if a certain redhead I was promised to be here, wouldn't have been."

I tilt my head down to look at the ground so that I can hide my smile.

"Have you always lived in La Push?" I question as we sit down on a dry log and look out towards the water. I am hyperaware of his close proximity to me. My shoulder rests against his left upper arm, and his leg is leaning against mine. His head is turned towards me and leaning in slightly. I mimic his posture, so that I am leaning slightly towards him as well.

"No." He says, "I moved here when I was eight. I lived in Tacoma before that."

"Which do you like better? Here or Tacoma?"

"Here. I don't really remember much from there," He informs me, "What about you? Do you like it here or wish you were somewhere else?"

"Honestly? I miss the sun. I don't like being cold."

I jump slightly, shocked, when he wraps his arm around my shoulder pulling me snuggly against his side.

"Here," He breaths in my ear causing me to shiver, "Or there?"

My breath catches in my throat, my mouth goes dry. My heart pounds, "Here. Definitely here."

I can feel the vibrations in his chest from his laughter.

Far too soon, I hear Bella calling my name. I lean my head around Paul to see her stumbling towards us. I stand up and walk to meet her, Paul trailing right behind me.

"Rory, we are loading up to leave." She informs me as she glances behind me at Paul.

"Okay. Bella this is Paul," I turn towards him with a smile, "Paul this is my sister, Bella."

"Hey." They both say awkwardly.

"I'll meet you at the car." Bella tells me before walking away.

"I'm really glad you came." I tell Paul with a smile.

"Me too." He smiles back at me.

"Will I see you again?" I ask shyly.

"Yeah. I think so." He smirks.

He leans down and brushes his soft, warm lips against my cheek, "Bye Rory."

"Bye Paul." I smile.

The smile never leaves my face causing my cheeks to hurt, but I don't care.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! Booklover345: Thank you for the reassurance! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and Paul's character! Storythriver123: I'm so glad you love you the story! Guest Review: I'm hoping this chapter will give a little more clarity on whether he has or hasn't. Thank you! MegannAlyssaa: I'm so glad that you need more lol! And I am glad that you like Rory in this story. Thank you so much for being my Beta, you are awesome! Nya Pearl: I'm glad you like the story, and I try my best to update at least once a week. JazmynnMikaelson910: I'm glad you love this story! Twilightlover427: Thank you, I'm glad you like the story. Here is Chapter 8, let me know what you think. Thank you!**

 _Date?_

My smile only lasts until Bella and I get in the truck to drive home. My plan for the ride home doesn't exactly go the way I want. I thought that Bella and I would talk about my encounter with Paul – that she would help me dissect the situation.

But, no.

Instead, I attempt to share my excitement with her and in return all I receive are a distracted "uh huh" and "yeah". To say I am disappointed is a bit of an understatement. Quite frankly, I'm hurt. Why is it that I try my hardest to take an interest in her – in the guy she may or may not like – and she can't even seem to pretend to be interested in me? Is it really that much of a hassle? Am _I_ that much of an inconvenience?

Whatever, I'll just talk to Mom. Mom's always excited to talk about boys with me.

Once we are home, Bella informs Dad that she isn't hungry before running up the stairs to our room. Dad is so excited about some baseball game that is on that he doesn't even notice that contrast in mine and Bella's moods. She being distracted and me, I'm torn between hurt and irritation.

"You want a pizza, Kiddo?" Dad asks me as I sit down on the couch. His eyes never stray from the TV screen.

"That's sounds great." It really does.

"Pepperoni?"

"Pepperoni." I agree with a smile.

I stay downstairs and watch the game with Dad. I feel better after eating my pizza, but I still don't feel like being around Bella just yet. I may be acting childish, but I really don't care.

"So, how'd the beach trip go?" Dad questions once the game is over.

"Fun. I met a guy there." I say, a smile lighting up my face.

Have I sunk so low in the need to talk about Paul that I have resorted to talking to my _Dad?_

"A guy, huh?" Dad shifts uncomfortably in his chair, "What's his name?"

"Paul Lahote." I reply hesitantly, maybe this isn't a good idea after all.

"Eh, he's a good kid," Dad scratches the back of his neck, "has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, though."

"What does that mean?" I inquire.

"He has a bit of a temper," Dad explains, "gets in fights occasionally."

"Why do you think that is?" I ask, shifting in my seat.

"It tends to happen with kids from broken homes."

I furrow my brows, "What makes you think he is from a broken home?"

Dad clears his throat uncomfortably, "Look Rory, I believe that is a discussion you should have with him…"

"So, do you approve?" I ask biting my bottom lip.

Dad let's out a sigh, "Yeah, I guess. If he hurts you, I'll shoot him."

I let out a laugh which slowly ends when I realize he isn't laughing with me.

Walking into the bedroom, I find Bella asleep. It wouldn't be so strange if she wasn't still dressed in her outfit from the day with a pair of headphones in her ears and the light still on. I quickly change into some pajamas, turn the light off and climb into bed.

"No!" Bella screams causing me to jolt awake, terrified.

I sit up quickly and look over at her. She is sitting up on her bed, breathing hard.

"Are you okay?" I question her concerned.

She glances around the room before nodding her head, "Yeah. Bad dream."

"Are you sure?" I reply somewhat doubtful.

"Yeah, go back to sleep," She looks towards the clock, "It's five-thirty."

I stare at her for a moment, before hesitantly allowing myself to go back to sleep.

"Rory," I feel someone shaking me, "wake up."

I crack my eyes open to see Dad peering down at me.

"Huh?" Is my groggy response.

"I'm about to leave to go fishing." He informs me, "Didn't you say you wanted to hang out with Jacob?"

"Yeah." I yawn, "Just let me get dressed."

He nods before leaving the room.

I look over at Bella's bed and see she isn't in it. Why is she awake at 6:30 in the morning? _Loser_.

It doesn't take me long to get ready. I quickly scarf down a toaster strudel, then Dad and I are off.

For once, the silence with Dad is a comfortable one. It could be because I am still tired or maybe, just maybe I am getting comfortable with my life here in Forks. At least a little.

Billy and Jacob are waiting on the porch to greet us as we climb out of the cruiser.

"Rory, it's good to see you!" Billy exclaims with a grin on his face.

"It's good to see you too, Billy." I tell him with a grin on my own face as I kneel down and hug him.

"Hey Rory." Jacob says with a big smile.

"Hey Jake." I smile back.

"Well you kids have fun." Dad tells us as he and Billy go to leave.

"We'll bring in enough fish for Harry to make his famous fish fry!" Billy promises.

Jacob and I tell our Dads bye and head inside where we both fall back carelessly on the couch.

Jacob turns the TV on and puts the channel onto the morning cartoons. I would tease him for it, if I didn't in fact like to watch cartoons myself.

"I didn't see you at the beach." I tilt my head to look at him, "Why is that?"

"Well, you were a little too preoccupied with Paul." He teases me, "So, I hung out with Bella."

I furrow my brows, "She was acting weird when we left… Do you know why by any chance?"

Jacob lets out a laugh, "I just told her a scary story. A legend from our tribe."

"What was it about?" I inquire, shifting my body so that I am facing him completely.

"Just basically that we are descended from wolves. Those wolves protected us from the cold ones – ya know, vampires." He tells me as he rolls his eyes.

I scrunch up my nose, "That's it? Huh, she must have had something else on her mind then."

"Yeah probably." He shifts towards me, "So, how'd it go with Paul?"

I beam like a fool, "Amazing! We walked and talked… He kissed my cheek!"

Jacob laughs at me, "Well that's great, Rory."

"Do you hang out with him at school?" Is it bad that I am trying to fish for information?

"No." He shakes his head, "He has his own group of friends."

I frown, "Who's his friends?"

"I don't know… Basically, it's just Jason, Kyle, Kim, and Avery." Jacob informs me.

I nod my head as I take in the new information about Paul. So he likes to have a small group of friends? I can relate to that… I mean, for the past 17 years it has mainly just been Bella and me.

Jacob and I spend the next few hours watching TV and chatting. I get tired of sitting around and suggest we go for a walk. Jacob is up to the task; although, he is always up for just about anything. We walk our way around La Push, Jacob pointing out various shops.

"Are you hungry?" He asks as we see come across a small diner.

"Yeah, actually I am." I say as I look at the sign that reads 'Clearwater's Café'.

"They have an awesome burger here." Jacob informs me with a smile as he holds the door open for me.

"Sounds good to me." I smile back as I walk in.

The Café looks like an average little diner. You have the option of sitting in a booth or on a stool at the counter. It has a comfortable atmosphere, which I enjoy.

"Counter or booth?" I ask Jacob, letting him decide.

"Booth." He tells me as he picks out the third booth from the door.

We sit down and look at our menus.

"Hi, my name is Kim and I will be your waitress. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

I look up to see a girl with long black hair, brown eyes, and russet toned skin.

"Hey Kim, I'll have a coke." Jacob says with a smile.

"Hey Jacob." Kim smiles at him before turning her eyes to me.

"I'll take a coke, too." I inform her with a small smile.

"Alright, I'll be right back." She informs us with a smile before walking away.

Jacob leans towards me from across the table, "That's one of Paul's friends."

My eyes widen, "Really?"

Jacob nods his head, and leans back as Kim returns with our drinks.

We thank her as she sets the down.

"Are you ready to order?" She asks us with a smile.

"Yeah, we want the hamburgers." Jacob says with a grin.

"Alright, that will be coming right up," She turns towards me and asks, "Are you Rory Swan?"

"Yes." I answer slightly hesitantly.

"Paul said to give you this." She hands me a napkin, then point's towards a booth on the other side of the diner.

Sitting at the booth is Paul, who is smirking at me, with two guys and one girl.

I unfold the napkin and written in pen it says:

 **Will you hang out with me Friday?**

 **Circle Yes or No**

 **Phone # Here _**

I can't help the smile that grows on my face. Jacob snatches the napkin out of my hand and snorts when he reads it.

"This is so cheesy." He laughs.

I grin, "It is cheesy, but it's also cute."

I quickly circle yes and put my phone number down. I hand the napkin to Kim with a smile. She smiles back at me before walking away.

I watch as Paul opens the Napkin and grins. One of the guys snatches the napkin from him, reads it, then fist bumps him.

They all stand up, obviously getting ready to leave. My heart thunders in my chest as I watch Paul make his way towards Jacob and I.

"I knew you would say yes." Paul smirks at me.

I playfully roll my eyes, "Sure you did."

"I'll see you Friday." He winks at me.

"So, is this a date or…?" I feel a blush working its way up my neck.

He leans down, brushes his warm lips against my cheek just like at the Beach.

"Yeah." He whispers in my ear causing me to shiver and my heart to pound even harder.

He pulls away with a smirk on his face, "Bye Rory."

I blush, "Bye Paul."

I grin like a fool as he leaves. Jacob makes a fake gagging sound and rolls his eyes.

"You two are gross," He says tossing a balled up straw wrapper at me.

"Shut up!" I scoff, tossing it back at him.

"I'm happy for you, Rory." He tells me with a smile.

"Thanks Jake." I smile back at him.

We chat while we eat our food. Which as it turns out, is the absolute _best_ hamburger I have ever eaten. I don't know if they use some secret sauce or what, but it is beyond amazing. After leaving the diner, we walk around the reservation for a few more hours before making our way back to Jacob's house. We end up getting there at the same time as Dad and Billy pull up. Dad and I say our goodbyes and head home.

"Dad," I shift in my seat to look at him, "I have date Friday."

I watch as he takes a deep breathe before slowly exhaling, "I'll have to meet him."

I furrow my brows, "But it's Paul… You said you already knew him."

"Yeah, Well, I knew him _before_ he was trying to date my daughter." Dad shrugs, "I have to meet him again. Lay down the law."

I laugh, "Okay."

We get home and eat a quick dinner with Bella. After that, I send an email to mom telling her all about my upcoming date. I go to bed and sleep soundlessly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed. Jessie the twilight girl: Thank you! That means a lot and is very encouraging. I am so glad you are enjoying the story and I hope you will continue to do so. Booklover345: Thank you, I am glad you were able to catch my 'clue' as to whether or not he has phased… as for you question, I promise it will be answered in upcoming chapters. Rose009, jcwhale2380, and RosaSilvermist: Here is an update, glad you are enjoying the story. Storythriver123: It was definitely cheesy, I am glad it didn't cross over into too cheesy lol. Micky-Moo: I'm glad you loved, I hope you will love this one as well. mamapapababybear: I am really glad that the scenery was realistic and that you could picture it. I'm glad you like the story and I am doing my best not to rush or go too slow. I'm hoping to really build on relationships and characters before any big events happen. BCgurlie: I'm so glad you are loving the story, I promise your question will be answered in chapters to come. xXMoonlitSorrowsXx: I'm glad you are excited and that you like Rory and her relationships with Paul and Jake. A big thank you to** **MegannAlyssaa for being an awesome Beta.** **Here is Chapter 9, Please let me know what you think. Thank you!**

 _Sister_

I've never been a big fan of Sundays. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the weekend. I just find Sunday hard to enjoy when I know tomorrow will be Monday. Which is why I am stuck at the kitchen table writing a stupid English paper about Macbeth. It's not due until Wednesday, but I haven't even started the stupid report. Why is English class so complicated? Why do I need to turn in my brain storming, outlining, rough draft, and final draft? It shouldn't matter how I get the paper done, as long as it gets completed.

I watch as Bella walks into the kitchen and gets a glass of milk. At this point, I'm willing to have any kind of distraction. Who cares that I have been slightly upset and annoyed by her for the past two days. If she can help me procrastinate just a little longer, I believe it to be totally worth it.

"So, what did you do today?" I question, laying my pencil down on top of my paper.

She chokes on her milk, apparently my question has caught her off guard. _That's interesting_.

"N-nothing." She stammers as she sets her glass down on the counter, "Why? What did you do?"

"Nothing really, spent time with Jacob," I grin, "Paul asked me out on a date for this Friday."

Her eyebrows raise in surprise and a smile appears on her face, "Wow! That's great, Rory."

I proceed to spend a solid hour describing in great detail my encounters with Paul. Thankfully, Bella gives me more of the reaction that I was hoping for the other night. I can tell that she is happy for me, but I can also notice a sense of hesitancy. It's that sisterly instinct that kicks in when you don't like the idea that your sibling could possibly get hurt. I can understand it, seeing as I would feel the same way if anything ever went on with her and Edward. Sure I would be happy for her, but I would always fear the possibility of my sister's first heartbreak… or any heart break for that matter.

"You really need to finish working on that." Bella chastises as she looks down at my unfinished work. "I've got the brain storming sheet finished." I say defensively, crossing my arms.

"That's good," She grabs my paper to look over it, "But you need to at least finish your outlining tonight. Then you can do your rough draft tomorrow and your final draft on Tuesday."

"Or… my wonderful sister could write it for me." I smirk at her.

She makes a face of disagreement, "I think not. Look, your ideas are good. You've got this, you can do it."

I roll my eyes and let out a sigh, "If you say so."

I get my paper back from her and start working on my outline. Luckily for me, I am pretty decent at multitasking.

"So, what was going on with you Friday night?" I tilt my head to look at her, "I tried talking to you but you seemed…. Distracted."

I watch as her eyes widen apologetically, "I'm sorry, Rory. I just… I had a lot on my mind. Still do."

I furrow my brows, "Like what?"

"Edward Cullen." She mumbles which causes me to smirk.

"What about Edward Cullen?" I inquire, turning my body towards her to give her my undivided attention. My outline can wait for later.

She lets out a sigh and for a moment I am sure she has decided not to talk to me about it. But then she surprises me, "He just confuses me. He acts like he _really_ wants to be my friend… but then he says that we _shouldn't_ be friends. I just don't understand."

I grin at her, "Maybe he knows he can't _just_ be your friend. He is probably afraid he won't be able to control his self around you."

I watch as a blush appears on her cheeks and she scoffs at me, "Oh whatever, Rory!"

I snicker, "He probably thinks you're a total babe. Face it Bells, the guy has the hots for you. Embrace it."

"Do your work." Bella retorts with a smile on her face.

* * *

Sometimes in English I find myself staring at the back of Jessica Stanley's head. I just don't understand why I couldn't have been born with curly hair like hers. It's just so… _bam_ and in your face. She wears it in a ponytail for crying out loud. If I had hair like that, I swear it would always be down. But no, I was born with straight hair. Ugh, life is unfair.

Jessica turns around and smiles at me. Her eyes are filled with excitement and curiosity. She is obviously ready to bombard me with millions of questions that more than likely pertain to a certain guy I was seen with at the beach. Hmm… I guess now I realize why she was born with such big hair. It's probably filled with secrets and gossip. Eh, I still wish my hair was like that.

* * *

I just manage to sit down when Jessica pounces, "Rory, who was that guy at beach Friday?"

"Yeah, who was that guy?" Eric demands as he sits down in the seat to my right.

I decide to ignore his attitude and instead smile back at Jessica, "His name is Paul Lahote."

"How old is he?" Eric scoffs.

"I don't know," I shrug, "I never asked."

"I think he is like fifteen." Mike pipes in from beside Bella.

I frown, "I seriously doubt that."

Eric laughs, "You would date someone who is fifteen?"

I glare at him, "He's not fifteen."

"Ignore them!" Jessica intercedes excitedly, "Tell me about him!"

"Well, I think I like him," I grin, "We have a date planned for this Friday."

Jessica's eyes widen as she squeals, "Oh! You have got to let me help pick out your date clothes!"

I nod my head enthusiastically, "Let's do it."

Beside me, I hear Eric let out a groan.

* * *

"Did you finish your rough draft?" Bella questions as she stirs cheese into the macaroni she is currently cooking.

"Yeah," I nod, "I was hoping you would read it. Make sure everything is in order before I waste my time writing the final draft."

"I'll look over it in just a second." She informs me as the phone rings.

"I'll get it." I say as I climb out of my chair and walk to the phone that is situated on the wall in the hallway between the living room and kitchen.

Our house phone is one of those simple ones that still has a cord and hangs on the wall. I never understood why Dad - Chief of Police - wouldn't want to have caller ID.

"Hello?" I say as I put the phone to my ear.

"Umm… Is Rory Swan home?" A deep, masculine voice questions.

I grin, I would know that voice anywhere, "Hey Paul."

"Rory. Hey!" I am pretty positive I can hear a smirk in his voice, "So, for Friday, do you want to go to the movies or bowling?"

"Hmm… Both sound like fun." I pause, "Look, I want to pay half of whichever one we choose."

"No!" He actually sounds offended, "Mimsie would kill me if you paid anything on our date."

I furrow my brows, "Whose Mimsie?"

"That's my grandma. Who, by the way, wants to meet you."

I bite my bottom lip to try the keep the smile off my face, "You talk about me to your grandma?"

He scoffs, "I tell Mimsie everything."

"That's cute." I smirk.

"Shut up." He says in a joking manner.

"I like bowling," I inform him, "I'm not the best at it, but I do enjoy it."

"Bowling it is then." He states.

"Are you…" I start nervously tapping my foot while twisting the phone cord with my fingers, "Are you fifteen?"

"Just turned sixteen, actually." He informs me.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Why?" He questions, "How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen." I tell him.

"Hmm… I don't know. You might be too old for me."

My heart drops, "Really?"

He laughs, "No."

I roll my eyes, "That was mean."

"Yeah, well sounds like you were going to bail on me if I was fifteen. Which I was, two weeks ago, by the way." He states as a matter of fact.

"Happy late birthday." I tell him with a smile.

"Thank you."

"And I wouldn't have bailed on you." I scoff.

"I know." He snickers, "You can't resist me."

"As if." I retort.

I hear a voice calling out to Paul in the background.

"I have to go help Mimsie, I'll talk to you later." Paul informs me.

"Okay," I say, "Bye Paul."

"Bye Rory."

I walk back into the kitchen with a smile on my face. Bella stares at me from the table with an expectant look on her face.

"Was that Paul?" She inquires with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

I nod my head enthusiastically, "Yes it was."

"What did he say?" She questions, her smile growing.

"We are going bowling." I grin, "And he talks to his grandma about me!"

Bella laughs, "I'm glad to hear that."

I roll my eyes and whine, "Bella, it's a big deal. He is talking about me to family members."

She raises her hands up in mock surrender, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how momentous this is."

I bet she would realize how awesome it was if she found out Edward was talking to his grandmother about her.

She hands me my rough draft, "This sounds good. I made some edit marks but other than that this will work."

"Thank you." I tell her appreciatively.

"You're welcome," She replies, "Besides, we have to get your _C_ up to a _B_ in order to both get scholarships to the college in Florida."

I grin at her. Bella and I have been planning to go to college in Florida ever since Mom sold us on how awesome it is there. Mom and Phil now have a house in Jacksonville. In all of her emails, she makes sure to tell us how warm and sunny it is. I honestly cannot wait to go there.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and reviewed. You are all completely amazing and are great motivators. I'm sorry that the updates have been longer, life is pretty hectic right now.**

 **NanciDrew: Thank you! I will do my best!**

 **Natsumi456: Here's is their date, I hope you enjoy it! I'm glad you the love the story!**

 **Booklover345: I'm so glad you like the way I portray Paul. I've always thought he had to be a total sweetheart, even if he does have some anger issues. I hadn't thought about writing from his POV, but I did when you mentioned it. I** _ **might**_ **make some little 'outtakes' that would be in his POV and just not put them in this story. So they would be in their own little story group thing.**

 **Micky-Moo: I'm glad you love the story and Paul too!**

 **Time-twilight: I'm glad you are liking the story so far! I love that you find it different from other stories like it. You have many good suggestions and questions. I have a big plan for his phase so I don't want to give away when he will. I promise all will be answered and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as well as Aurora and Paul!**

 **Here's Chapter 10, their date night! Please let me know what you think! Thank you!**

 _Date Night_

The rest of the week goes by at a snail's pace. The anticipation for my date with Paul is nearly unbearable. Friday arrives and my nerves start going haywire. What if he decides he doesn't like me after all? What if I do or say something stupid? Oh God, what _he_ says or does something stupid which causes me to no longer like _him_? The list of things that can possibly go wrong is endless. This is my first date and I don't even know what to wear. Sure, I could just throw on the skirt Jessica brought for me to wear which she swears would keep Paul's eyes on me. Although, she's been pining after Mike for years and her choice of clothing has obviously not won him over yet... Okay, that was just mean. My nerves are turning me into a complete jerk... But seriously, why is there not a book or guide of some kind that tells you exactly what to wear, say, and do on a date. I mean, do I let him kiss me on the first date if he tries or would that make me sleazy? Ugh, why would he even want to kiss me?

"Rory, why don't you just call Jacob and ask him his opinion?" Bella suggests, "Get a guy's perspective."

"You're a genius, Bells!" I beam at her, "What would I do without you?"

"Keep sitting on your bed with that lost look on your face." She replies sarcastically.

I roll my eyes as I leave our room. I do feel a bit sorry for her. I've been asking her all of the questions that have been plaguing my mind. Problem is, she is as clueless as I am when it comes to the dating world. Maybe when she starts dating someone, I will be able to answer at least some of her questions... I mean, that's if tonight goes good for me; which it might not. Ugh.

I just make it to the phone when Dad walks past me as he leaves the kitchen.

"What time is this kid coming to pick you up again?" He inquires with his hands firmly set on his hips.

"He said 7:00." I respond, looking towards the clock in the living room that says it is 5 o'clock at the moment.

Dad nods his head, "I better get the gun ready."

My eyes widen as I shake my head vigorously, "Dad, please don't... Please don't embarrass me."

Dad lets out a chuckle as he places a hand on my shoulder, " _You_ have nothing to worry about Rory-Bug."

"Dad!" I groan to which he simply laughs and walks into the living room.

I roll my eyes in exasperation and I quickly dial the number for the Blacks' home. It rings three times before I hear Billy's deep voice answer, "Hello?"

"Hey Billy, is Jacob around?" I ask quickly twirling the phone cord between my fingers anxiously.

"Hey Rory," I can hear the smile in Billy's voice, "Just a second and I will get him."

A few moments later and I hear Jacob's voice in my ear, "Hey Rory, what's up?"

"Jake, I need help!" I say urgently, "I don't know what do about my date with Paul."

He freaking laughs at me as if he doesn't understand our stressful this is.

"It's not funny, Jacob!" I whine stomping my foot.

"I'm sorry," He chuckles, "So what is the problem exactly?"

"First off, I don't know what to wear. Jessica brought a skirt from her house and I-" I start but he cuts me off.

"No skirt." He says seriously, "If you slip or anything he will see your underwear. And so will everyone else. It's just bowling, you don't have to look fancy."

"It's Forks and I hate the cold, so I tossed the skirt aside as soon as she left." I inform him, "But are jeans a little _too_ casual? And do I need to wear make-up?"

"Jeans are great." He says then adds, "Were you wearing make-up any of the times you saw him?"

"No." I reply.

"Then no, you don't have to wear make-up." He states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "He obviously likes the way you look... I mean he did ask you out."

"But, what if he thinks that I don't like him if I don't put any effort into the way I look?" I question as I tug at my hair with my free hand.

"All you have to do is brush your teeth," Jacob laughs, "Guys really don't care about that other stuff... Just don't wear a trash bag as a dress and you will be fine."

"But what if he tries to kiss me?" I whisper urgently into the phone, looking over my shoulder to make sure Dad can't hear me. I might die from embarrassment if he heard.

Jacob proceeds to laugh for a long moment, "If you like him, kiss him back."

"I don't know how." I whisper ashamed.

"If it makes you feel any better I've never kissed anyone either. Everything will be fine. If not, he's just a guy. There are billions more and any of them would be lucky to have you." He reassures me.

"Thanks Jake." I smile, "So, wears jeans and maybe or maybe not kiss him?"

"Yes Rory, wear jeans and just do what feels right and have fun."

"Thank you, Jacob. You're a great friend." I say sincerely with a smile.

"I know," He teases, "You're welcome."

We say our goodbyes and I run back upstairs to take a shower. Once out, I brush my teeth and blow dry my hair which I decide to leave down. For my outfit, I decide on a pair of dark blue boot cut jeans, a lavender V-neck long sleeved shirt, and my black converse. I look casual, just as Jacob suggested.

"I'm so glad you aren't wearing that skirt." Bella says as she takes in my appearance.

I let out a laugh, "I would freeze in a skirt."

She nods her head in agreement, "You look good, Rory."

I smile at her, "Thanks, Bells."

She sits back down on her bed and picks up her copy of _Wuthering Heights_. I don't understand how she can read that same book over and over again. She will finish reading whichever book we are on in English class and then she goes right back and reads _Wuthering Heights_ again.

"What are your plans for tonight?" I ask her as I sit at the foot of my own bed. The clock on the dresser says it is 6:30 which means Paul will be here in thirty minutes. My heart rate speeds up just thinking about it.

She holds her book up as if it should be obvious, "Exactly what I'm doing right now."

I frown at her, "Why don't you call Edward and see if he wants to do anything?"

She looks at me as if I have just sprouted an extra head, "First off, no. And secondly, I don't have his number."

I shrug, "Ask him for his number at school on Monday."

"Don't you think if he wanted me to have his number he would have given it to me already?" She scoffs.

"Maybe he's shy," I suggest, "Actually, he probably is. I mean look how secluded he and his family are at school."

"Rory, go on your date and leave me alone." She says with a deadpan expression.

I raise my hands in mock surrender, "Sorry."

"Have fun, Rory." She says sincerely as she smiles at me.

"Thanks, Bella." I smile back.

We sit in silence for the next thirty minutes. Bella notices headlights outside so we both run to the window and peer out of it. An old, dark blue pick-up truck is pulling into the driveway behind our truck. It's not as old as our tank is, that's for sure. The truck's lights go out and a minute later Paul climbs out. He is wearing jeans and a black zip-up jacket. He looks casual and yet he still looks completely gorgeous. Bella and I share a look before we both take off running out of our room and down the stairs.

I just make it to the bottom step when Paul knocks on the door. My heart drops when Dad makes it to the door before me. He sends a grin over his shoulder at me before turning back and opening the door with a stern look on his face. He has his hands on his hips and has apparently put his gun and holster back on. It's very obvious that he's making sure Paul gets a good view of his gun. I can feel my cheeks and neck heat up in embarrassment.

"Chief Swan," Paul holds his hand out for Dad to shake, "I'm Paul Lahote."

"Nice to meet you, Paul," Dad squeezes Paul's hand, "You got an I.D.?"

My eyes widen, "Dad!"

Paul looks over Dad's shoulder and sends me an amused smile before looking back at him, "Yes sir."

Paul reaches into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet then takes his license out and hands it to Dad. Dad proceeds to stare at it for a long moment even going so far as to hold it up in the air as if he needs the light to see and squints his eyes at it. I roll my eyes completely annoyed with his antics.

"Looks real enough," Dad hands the license back to Paul and points past him, "That your truck?"

Paul shifts to look behind him at the truck before looking back at Dad nodding his head, "Yes sir."

"Got a full tank of gas? Spare tire?" Dad's interrogation has only begun apparently.

"Yes sir." Paul responds.

"So bowling? That's where you're taking my girl?" Dad inquires, hands still on his hips, "She'll be home no later than 11, understood?"

"That's the plan and yes sir, I will have her home by then." Paul says nodding his head respectfully.

I watch as Dad narrows his eyes at Paul, "I mean it, 11:01 and she isn't here, I'll come looking for you."

Bella snickers next to me as I roll my eyes yet again.

"Dad! We have to go." I whine and barely manage to keep myself from stomping my foot.

"I promise I'll get her home safely by 11." Paul promises.

Dad finally nods his head in agreement and shifts his body so that he is no longer blocking the doorway. He looks at me asks me in a serious tone, "You still got your pepper spray?"

"Yes, Dad." I sigh.

Dad's face brightens, "Okay, you kids have fun."

"Bye." I tell Dad and Bella as I shrug into my jacket. I waste no time making my way out the door and pulling it shut behind me. I fear Dad could come up with other safety concerns he wants to discuss before we leave so it's best we just leave now.

"Sorry about that." I smile sheepishly up at Paul.

He grins down at me, amusement shining in his brown eyes, "Do you think he will cuff me if I touch you at all?"

I glance at the door behind me and grin back at him, "Probably."

He lets out a dramatic sigh before placing a warm hand on my lower back and starts leading me towards the truck, "I guess you're worth the risk."

I let out a nervous giggle, my heart pounding. My body is hyperaware of his touch causing me to shiver slightly from the heat spreading throughout my body. I can feel goose bumps rising up on my arms and I don't even need a mirror to know that my skin is flushed. I am able to completely ignore the wind biting at my cheeks.

"Here you go." He says grinning at me while opening the passenger side door.

"Thank you." I smile back as I quickly climb in, he nods at me before closing my door. I'm surprised at how clean his truck is. I always thought guys were supposed to be huge slobs.

He jogs around to his side and quickly climbs in. He turns the truck on and I am blasted with warm air. I really like the heater in this truck. The song _Someday_ by _Nickelback_ plays softly through the speakers.

I look at him as he backs the truck out of the drive way. I allow myself a moment to mentally 'happy dance' due to the fact I, Aurora Henley Swan, managed to gain a date from such a handsome guy.

"Who taught you to be such a gentleman?" I inquire with a raised eyebrow and a smile. I shift in my seat so that my body is facing him.

"What are you talking about?" He smirks, "I was _born_ a gentleman."

I roll my eyes playfully, "I'm sure."

Paul smirks at me and raises an eyebrow, "So, how do you know Jacob Black?"

"My Dad has always been friends with Billy. During the summer when we visited with him, we would always wind up over at Jacob's house. Jake's just always been my friend." I say, smiling fondly.

"Just friends?" He gives me a disbelieving look, "Never anything more?"

I laugh, "Never. People always thought something more would happen between us but no. He's just like the brother never had."

He smiles, obviously satisfied with my answer.

"Why _did_ you and your sister decide to move here?" Paul asks after a moment of silence.

"Our mom married a guy named Phil. He's a baseball player so he travels a lot. We knew she wanted to be with him so Bella came up with the idea of us moving." I inform him.

"He's a professional baseball player?" He asks with an impressed expression.

"Minor league." I say with a shrug.

"Oh." His expression deflates slightly, "Still cool though."

"So, why did you move here when you were eight?" I ask, shifting to put my left leg underneath my right.

"My Dad thought it would be better for us to live here with Mimsie." He answers vaguely with a nonchalant shrug. I notice that he doesn't mention a thing about his Mom, but I also know when to leave well enough alone. If he wanted to say anything about her, he would.

The rest of the hour drive to Port Angeles is spent with us chatting away about anything and everything that comes to mind. I learn that he is a football fan, his favorite team being the Seahawks. He is also the wide receiver on his school's football team. He is completely appalled at the fact that I have zero knowledge about football. He then proceeds to give me a lecture as to why I need to learn about football. In return, I lecture him about why he needs to read the _Harry Potter_ books. It would be a lie if I say I didn't enjoy watching him passionately talk about something he loves. His face just lights up in a way that I can't explain. I have zero interest in football, but I would listen to him talk about it all day long just to see him this way.

Only half the parking lot is filled which gives me hope that there will be enough lanes open for us to get one. We climb out of the truck and he makes his way over to me. He places his hand on my lower back just like earlier and leads me towards the doors of the building. My body reacts the same as it did before, my heart beats wildly in my chest. Will I ever get use this?

He pulls the glass door open and steers me into the warm building. Only five of the ten lanes are being used by various groups of people. Paul pays the balding man behind the counter and the man gives us our bowling shoes. We make our way over to _Lane 7_ and sit down in the chairs places around the computer. We quickly swap our shoes out with the ugly green and red bowling ones. We then pick out our bowling balls. Mine being a dark blue one that weighs seven pounds. Paul picks out a ten pound red ball.

"Okay, so who goes first?" I question as I stand at the computer waiting to put our names in.

"Ladies first," Paul smirks as he watches me put our names in, "Besides, you'll need all the advantage you can get."

"Those are fighting words." I scoff as I playfully glare at him.

"Show me what you got." He says gesturing towards the lane, his brown eyes dancing with mischief.

I send him a confident smirk before I grab my ball and make my way up to the lane. I take a moment to line the ball up and then I quickly toss the ball down the lane. The ball lands with a loud _THUNK_ which causes me to flinch and grimace. People are going to think I'm trying to tear the floor up. I watch as my ball goes down the middle only to curve and go straight into the gutter. I frown. Well, that's embarrassing.

I turn around to retrieve my ball for a second throw when I catch sight of Paul. He standing there staring at me, with one hand cover his mouth trying to hide his apparent laughter. It's completely pointless though seeing as his face is red and his entire form is shaking.

"That was just warm up." I inform him as I grab my ball.

"Of course," He nods his enthusiastically with a grin, "I like to break the floor first, too."

I can't help but laugh, "Shut up."

My second throw is a little bit easier and I manage to knock down two pins. I turn to look at Paul with a triumphant grin, "Beat that."

"It'll be hard, but I'll try my best." He says dramatically, shooting an amused grin at me as I pass by him.

He lines the ball up and tosses the ball down the lane. I watch in fascination as the ball rolls straight down the middle of the lane and knocks all the pins down earning a 'Strike'. He pumps his fist in the air in celebration before turning towards me with his face lit up with excitement and a cocky smirk on his face.

I playfully roll my eyes at him, "Lucky shot."

"Luck?" He stops an inch from me and leans down so he is face-to-face with me causing me to feel his warm breath on my face, "That's not luck baby. I'm just _that_ good."

I find myself breathless for a moment, my heart pounding. I'm not sure what it is that causes the butterflies to become active in my stomach. It could be his close proximity or the fact that he just called me _baby_. I need to keep calm, he could mean _anything_ by it. For all I know, he might even call his friends _baby_.

"It's your turn." He smirks cockily while pushing me forward towards the lane.

I swallow thickly and shake my head slightly to regain my focus. Apparently, I have zero focus though. I manage to throw my ball into the gutter 3 more times before he takes pity on me. I have no clue how this guy has managed to make 'Strikes' and 'Spares' _Every. Single. Time._

"The problem is, you aren't really aiming." He says into my ear as he molds his chest into my back. He places his left hand firmly on my left hip, and his right hand trails down my arm to grab a hold of my right wrist firmly. I do my best to ignore the excitement soaring through my body, my pounding heart, and the goose bumps that have popped up on my arms.

"Aim towards that middle line." He breaths tickling my ear causing me to shiver slightly. He helps me hold the ball up to my chest. Together we pull my arm back before slinging the ball forward. I watch excitedly as I make my first 'Strike' of the night. I grin and let out small squeal before I turn around to see him smirking at me with amusement.

"I did it!" I cheer excitedly.

"You did." He grins back at me.

"Thank you." I smile.

"You're welcome," He smirks, "Now it's the pros turn."

I can't even bring myself to roll my eyes at him due to my excitement. He of course gets a 'Strike' too. He ends up helping me out a few more times even though after his tip I haven't made any more gutter balls. I can't help but think that he is using it as an excuse to be close to me… and I can't say that I mind either. He of course wins the game in the end. Shocker, right?

"Pizza or cheese fries?" He questions me as we stare up at the menu.

"Definitely pizza." I say quickly, "Pepperoni good for you?"

"Sounds good to me." He informs me before stepping forward to order a large pizza for us along with two Cokes.

He grabs the pizza and I carry our drinks the table set up behind _Lane 7._

We split the large pizza, each of us getting five pieces. He gives me a doubtful look when I assure him I can eat all five pieces. Why do people always assume I don't eat much? I freaking love food… Especially pizza.

"So, how did you get so good at bowling?" I question between bites.

He swallows before answering, "Mimsie used to bring me here all the time when I was younger. She used to play in tournaments so she was really good at it."

"I can't wait to meet her." I say with a smile.

He smirks, "She can't wait to meet you either."

"When will I meet her?" I inquire with an eyebrow raised.

He shrugs, "When do you want to?"

It's my turn to shrug, "I don't know. Next Friday, maybe?"

He grins at me, "Alright. Next Friday."

We talk about random things while we finish eating. By the time we are done, we notice that it is 9:45 and decide it would be best to head back home. He leads me to the truck with a hand on my lower back and opens the door for me. I can't help but smile, knowing I could definitely get used to this.

On the ride back, we get to talking about our friends. He tells me about Jason, Kyle, Kim, and Avery. Jason and Kyle are on their school's football team with him. Jason is the quarterback and Kyle is the running back. Kim is the one who works at the diner and she is the shy one of the group. According to Paul, she is really smart and an easy person to talk to. Avery is the artist, she can apparently draw anything and everything.

I tell him about the friends Bella and I have made. How Jessica is the gossiper and is completely in love with Mike who is infatuated with Bella. I tell him about shy, quiet Angela who reminds him of Kim.

"What?" He raises an eyebrow and smirks at me, "There's no guy that's into you?"

I roll my eyes with a smirk, "You mean other than you?"

He laughs, "Yeah, other than me."

I grin feeling excited that he didn't deny that he is into me. I'm still surprised that he would be.

"Maybe Eric." I say with a slight frown, "But I can't be too sure."

Paul rolls his eyes and scoffs, "If you think there's a chance a guy likes you, 90% of the time he does."

I furrow my eyebrows, "Where would you come up with that statistic?"

He tilts his head to look at me sideways, "I'm a guy. I have never lead someone on or let them think I liked them when I didn't."

I feel heat creep into my cheeks, "Just because you are like that doesn't mean all the others are."

"That's the 10% that's left over." He states matter-of-fact with a smirk.

I roll my eyes with a smile, "If you say so."

"So, would you pick me or Eric?" He inquires with a raised eyebrow.

I pretend to think for a moment before smirking, "I guess Eric."

"Yeah, right." Paul scoffs, "You'd choose me. We both know that"

"Yeah, you're right." I say with a smile.

My smile turns into a grin when I see Paul watching the road with a smug look on his face. The rest of the ride is a mixture of comfortable silence listening to _Nickelback_ and chatting. We pull into my driveway and I start to feel disappointment seep in. I'm not ready for tonight to be over.

Like the gentleman he is, Paul leads me to my front door with his hand firmly planted on my lower back. Nervousness starts to creep in when I realize that this is the moment that most dates end the night with a kiss. Or at least, that's what happens in the movies. I play with my hands nervously, hoping he won't be able to see them shaking. He stops us in front of my door and turns to face me.

"Thank you for tonight Paul," I say with a smile, "I had a lot of fun."

"You're welcome," He smiles back at me, "I did too."

"I'll see you Friday, right?" My voice shakes slightly out of nervousness.

He gives me a bright smile that causes my breath to catch, "Yeah, I'll see you Friday."

My heart races as he takes a step closer to me causing his chest to touch mine. He leans his face closer to mine. I watch as he hesitates for a moment, searching my eyes. I stop breathing when I see resolution in his eyes. He pulls me into a warm hug, leans his head down and I feel his warm lips brush along my left cheek.

"Good night, Rory." He whispers, his breath tickling my cheek.

"Good night, Paul." I whisper back.

He gives me a squeeze before he lets go and makes his way to his truck. He sends me a smile and a wave, which I return, before he pulls out of the drive way. I watch as his truck disappears down the road with a small smile on my face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: First off, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed!**

 **Shayna . kasdan: I'm glad you liked it!**

 **Time-twilight: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I already have everything involving Paul's phasing planned out. When that time comes, if you have any questions about it; feel free to send me a message.**

 **Booklover345: I'm glad you loved it! I'm also glad that you loved Charlie and Jacob as much as I did!**

 **Micky-Moo: I'm glad you liked it!**

 **Twilightlover427: I'm glad you like it!**

 **Natsumi456: Rory feels the same way! Lol!**

 **xXMoonlitSorrowsXx: I'm glad you like it and loved Charlie as much as I did!**

 **Secondly, to anyone who is interested, I have posted an outtake in Paul's POV. Go check it out, and let me know your thoughts on it! Here is chapter 11, let me know what you think! Thank you!**

 _Port Angeles_

"I just don't understand why he only kissed my cheek." I tell Bella with a disappointed tone.

Our Saturday has consisted of the two of us sitting on the floor of our bedroom with a wide spread of snacks in between us. I've been telling her about my date in great detail. The night had been perfect, and I can't help but feel a slight sting of disappointment that I did not receive a _real_ kiss at the end of it. Did I do or say something wrong? Did he not have as much fun as I did? What if he just assumed I would be a bad kisser and decided not to chance it? Ugh.

"Maybe he was nervous," Bella suggests for what feels like the millionth time, "or he just wasn't ready. I've told you, Rory, it probably had nothing to do with you."

I frown at her before I stuff another Laffy Taffy in my mouth. _Strawberry, yum!_

"Did he give any indication that he wasn't having fun?" She questions as she searches through our pile of candy and picks out a blue Jolly Rancher.

"No." I inform her, "He seemed like he was having just as much fun as me."

She puts the Jolly Rancher into the left side of her cheek and stares at me with a serious expression that basically screams 'Listen up, Aurora Swan'.

"Then stop worrying about it," She says sternly, "you're overthinking it. Stop analyzing everything and just live in the moment. You had a great first date, enjoy this feeling."

I slowly nod my head before my face breaks out in a grin, "You're right. It was a fun night with an awesome guy _and_ I did technically get a kiss."

Bella playfully rolls her eyes and scoffs, "I'm always right."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far." I scoff back as I toss my candy wrapper at her.

* * *

On Sunday, I find myself sitting in front of our computer. I sent Mom back an E-mail, informing her of how my date went. I swear she seems more excited about it that I am, which I thought would be impossible. She tells me all about Jacksonville, which is where she and Phil are living now. I make plans with her to visit during the summer. I cannot wait to walk on the beach and be in the sunlight.

I decide to research football, or at least the position that Paul plays. It would be nice to have a little bit of knowledge about the sport so that when Paul talks about it, I won't be completely clueless.

I pull up the _Google_ search engine and when I click on the line to start typing I see some of the searches that was previously searched. I scrunch my nose up when I see that Bella has apparently been searching all kinds of information on vampires and 'cold ones' whatever that is. I shake my head, that girl is so weird sometimes. I type in wide receiver and the definition that pops up is:

 **Noun**

 **An offensive player who is positioned at a distance from the end and is used primarily as a pass receiver.**

So… I guess he is the one who catches the ball. Maybe I can get Jacob to explain all of this to me the next time I see him. I can already picture him laughing at the fact that _I_ want to learn about football.

* * *

"You sure you want to wear a long sleeve today, Rory?" Dad questions as we sit together eating breakfast, "It's sunny and warm today."

I stop mid-bite of toaster strudel to look at him, "Forks' warm is still jacket weather to me."

He frowns slightly, "Do you have low iron?"

I shrug at him, how would I know the answer to a question like that?

Luckily, I am left to go back to my food seeing as Bella basically comes skipping down the stairs. It doesn't take a genius to know that Bella is in a good, dare I say _great_ , mood. Dad puts his plate in the sink and turns to face Bella.

"Nice day out." He comments, easily picking up on her good mood.

"Yes." Bella agrees with a grin.

He smiles back at her, his brown eyes crinkling around the edges. There's that handsome man Mom fell in love with all those years ago.

I do my best not to glare at Bella as she eats her breakfast _cheerfully_. I will never understand how people can be so cheerful in the morning – on a school day no less. We yell our goodbyes to Dad as he leaves for work.

I grab my rain jacket without even thinking about it as I walk out the front door to the truck. I don't care that the sky is blue with white, fluffy clouds. This Forks, I know it will be raining by this afternoon.

I help Bella force the truck windows down, more out of obligation than actually wanting to. I spend the entire ride to school bundled under our jackets as the wind whips at the strands of my hair that fell out of my ponytail. We end up being the first ones to arrive at school, which I find kind of shocking. I would assume the residence of Forks would want to enjoy their 'warm' weather as long as possible. Especially seeing as the likelihood of it lasting is pretty slim. Bella and I decide to sit at the picnic tables. We sit on our jackets due to the fact that the seats are still damp. She helps me with my last few Biology questions and I attempt to help her with her Trig problems. I end up realizing that helping her is impossible because she won't stop daydreaming. I give up and instead decide to work ahead in Trig.

"Bella!" I look up to see Mike waving as he walks towards us. I frown as I notice that he is wearing shorts and a red rugby shirt. I look around at the student population seeing that most are wearing short sleeved shirts and some, like Mike, are wearing shorts. There is no way that it is _that_ warm.

"Hey, Mike." Bella calls out as she waves back.

He sits down on the other side of Bella. He spares me a hello before turning his full attention onto my sister as he grins at her.

"I never noticed before – your hair has red in it." He comments as he catches a strand of her hair between his fingers.

"Only in the sun." Bella informs him as I scrunch up my nose. Red hair _does_ run in our family. Her twin has red hair for goodness sake, is it really that shocking to him that Bella's hair would have a red tint to it?

I watch as Bella shifts uncomfortably as Mike places the lock of hair he is holding behind her ear.

"Great day isn't it." He comments.

"My kind of day." She states.

At this point, I am sick of sitting here like a third wheel. I don't like being excluded from conversations. So, being the mature person that I am, I decide to ignore them and finish working on tonight's Trig homework. Sure, I could go off and find Jessica or someone to talk to but I really don't want to hear how 'warm' today is. The temperature is still below 60 degrees, therefore, it is not warm. I guess I should be more grateful though. It does feel nice not to be pelted with rain.

The bell rings and I quickly shove my books into my bag. I notice Mike's distracted facial expression as he walks with Bella and me towards class. I shoot Bella a questioning look to which she simply shrugs.

* * *

"Please come you guys." Jessica pleads with Bella and me in Trig class.

She wants us to go dress shopping with her, Angela, and Lauren tonight in Port Angeles. I would love to go have a girl's night out, there's only two reasons I don't want to go tonight. For one, Lauren is going. I would rather not even breathe the same air as her if I could help it. For two, I'm not able to go to the spring dance because of my sister and the selfish part of me doesn't want to help pick out dresses when I won't be getting one.

"We'll have to talk to our Dad about it first." Bella tells her which seems to satisfy Jessica.

I try my best not to punch Jessica in the throat due to her nonstop talk about the upcoming dance. She talks about it on the way to Spanish, then she picks right back up where she left off as we make our way to the cafeteria. Bella has been the only one to somewhat listen to this girl's rambling. I, on the other hand, am a little too envious to listen to her. I can't help but feel resentful towards Jessica and Bella. I'm annoyed at the fact that for the first time Bella and I have friends and she doesn't want to go to a dance where we could have fun with them.

I watch as Bella sends a glance towards the Cullen table – the same thing she has done since the second day of school. I can see her obvious disappointment when she realizes they aren't here – or should I say, that Edward isn't here. Jessica doesn't even notice that no one is listening to her anymore as we all sit at a table with our food.

Bella and I sit next to Angela. She converses quietly with us about the English paper we are all working on. She also invites us to tag along with them tonight. I try my best not to glare at Bella when she says that we will go.

* * *

Jessica calls not too long after we make it home, she informs us that our plans will have to wait until tomorrow night. Apparently, Mike asked her out to dinner for tonight. I don't even try to hide the shock on my face while Bella just smiles knowingly. I'm surprised to find that I feel slightly disappointed that we aren't going tonight.

The rest of the afternoon Bella and I spend laying on a quilt in the front yard reading. Or should I say that I read _My Sister's Keeper_ while Bella takes a nap. Apparently, all of the books she brought out here irritated her for some reason.

After a few hours of reading, Dad's cruiser pulls in the driveway causing Bella to jump up. Together, we quickly fold the quilt and grab our books. Bella takes off running inside to start on dinner, apparently panicky that it will be late. I guess she doesn't realize just how much she spoils me and Dad.

After dinner, Bella and I watch TV with Dad. Bella doesn't like to watch sports so Dad puts on some stupid sitcom that none of us enjoy. I think it's safe to say that we all _do_ enjoy spending the time together though.

"Dad," Bella says during a commercial, "Jessica and Angela are going to look at dresses for the dance tomorrow night in Port Angeles, and they wanted us to help them choose… do you mind if we go with them?"

"Jessica Stanley?" He asks.

"And Angela Webber." Bella says with a sigh.

"But you're not going to the dance, right?" He asks, confusion evident in his tone.

"Nope." I say somewhat bitterly causing Bella to elbow me.

"No, Dad, but we are helping _them_ find dresses – you know, giving them constructive criticism." Bella tells him.

"Well, okay." He says realizing this is girl stuff that he will never understand, "It's a school night, though."

"We'll leave right after school, so we can get back early. You'll be okay for dinner, right?" Bella questions.

"Bells, I fed myself for seventeen years before you got here." He reminds her causes me to snicker.

"I don't know how you survived," Bella mutters causing me to laugh before she adds, "I'll leave some things for cold-cut sandwiches in the fridge, okay? Right on top."

Poor Bella wouldn't know what to do if she didn't have someone to take care of.

* * *

It's still sunny today, and I'm still wearing a long sleeve. I can't help but be slightly envious due to the fact that Bella is rocking a short sleeved blouse. Maybe I do have low iron?

Bella manages to almost make us late for school. For some reason, today she basically drug her feet around the house before we left. I swear, a turtle could have gotten ready faster than her. I glare at her as she circles the school parking lot for the second time, does she not realize that the bell has already rang?

Luckily, we make it to class right before the final bell rings. We are definitely not a pretty sight, seeing as we both have blotchy red faces and are out of breath. We are apparently so out of shape that running to class nearly killed us.

School goes by quickly, and I am actually somewhat excited about our plans for tonight. Apparently, Lauren can't come tonight; I don't even try to hide my 'Grinch' grin at hearing the news. It also helps that Bella tells me that maybe _we_ could do some clothes shopping as well – I really would love some new clothes.

Jessica follows us home in her white Mercury. I drop my back pack on my bed and brush my hair throwing it up in a bun. I swipe my wallet off the dresser and run down the stairs to see Bella leaving Dad a note. I drop my wallet into the purse she is holding.

We both climb into the back seat of Jessica's car, opting to let Angela ride shot gun when we pick her up. It takes maybe three minutes to get to Angela's house. She's already waiting on us and quickly climbs into the car. For the first fifteen minutes, I tell them about my date with Paul. My excitement grows seeing as they are all very happy for me. Jessica then tells us about her date with Mike, in return we are all happy for her as well. Apparently, she didn't get a first-kiss either.

Jessica's a speed demon causing us to make it to Port Angeles by Four. Dad would have a stroke if he knew that we were in the car with someone driving so fast. We spend our time chatting, while whiny rock music plays in the background. It turns out that after I turned Eric down for a date to the dance he went and asked Angela. Angela is excited about the dance, but she isn't into Eric. Jessica attempts to get Angela to spill on who her type of guy is, but Bella manages to change the conversation to dresses.

Angela is appreciative of Bella for helping her out. I can't help but notice that Bella and Angela are alike when it comes to talking about guys they are interested in – in other words, they don't want to talk about it. I can relate more to Jessica, I don't have a problem talking about the guy I'm interested in – in fact, I rather enjoy talking about him.

Port Angeles is more spacious than Forks – by a long shot, too. This is the place where tourist come to visit, which I can't say that I blame them. It _does_ have a certain beauty to it. Due to the fact that Jessica and Angela know where everything is, we quickly find ourselves in front a large department store.

"They said the dance is semi-formal," Jessica says with a huff, "What does that even mean?"

The three of us shrug in response. None of us have a clue what semi-formal is.

"I don't know," I tell her, "Bella and I have never even been to a dance so…"

The look of shock on Angela and Jessica's faces is somewhat flattering.

"Didn't you two ever go with a boyfriend or something?" Jessica questions dubiously as we walk through the front doors.

"What boyfriend?" I scoff.

"Really," Bella tries to convince Jessica, "We've never had a boyfriend or anything close. We didn't go out much."

"Why not?" Jessica demands.

"No one asked." Bella answers sincerely.

I don't think they realize just how much of outcasts Bella and I were at our old school.

Jessica looks skeptical at Bella. "People ask you out here," She reminds Bella, while ignoring me because I _have_ been on a date with someone here, "and you tell them no."

We are in the juniors' section now, scanning the racks looking for dress-up clothes.

"Well, except for Tyler." Angela speaks up quietly.

My eyes widen as I stare at my sister in shock. Why didn't I know about this?

"Excuse me?" Bella gasps, "What did you say?"

Okay, maybe I haven't missed anything.

"Tyler told everyone that he is taking you to prom." Jessica informs Bella, looking at her suspiciously.

"He said _what_?" Bella sounds like she's choking. I can't help but snicker at her.

"I told you it wasn't true." Angela murmurs to Jessica as I send Bella an amused look. In return, she sends me a heated glare.

It doesn't take us long to find the dress racks and we each start grabbing dresses that we think will look good on Angela and Jessica.

"That's why Lauren doesn't like you." Jessica says giggling as she paws her way through dresses.

I send an unnoticed glare over at her, why does she need to bring _her_ up.

Bella grits her teeth, "Do you think if I ran him over with my truck he would stop feeling guilty about the accident? That he might give up on making amends and call it even?"

"Maybe," Jessica snickers, " _If_ that's why he's doing this."

There really aren't that many dresses to look through. Luckily, we managed to scrounge up a couple of dresses for each of the girls to try on. I sit next to a fuming Bella on low rise chair that is situated right inside the dressing room next to a three panel mirror.

"Hey, it's okay." I murmur to her, "It's not _that_ big of a deal."

"What if it was _you_ that someone was lying about?" Bella retorts quietly.

I make a face, what can I say? She had me there. I would probably go off on them if it was me. But since it isn't me, I find it kind of funny.

Together, we encourage Jessica to choose the knee-length electric blue dress instead of the strapless, backless black one that was her other option. Angela chooses a light pink dress that drapes around her tall frame. I would _love_ to be as tall as Angela. We give them a ton of compliments. They do look beautiful in their dresses and I know the guys will definitely be wowed by them. We all set to work returning all of the rejected dresses.

We head over to look at shoes and accessories. While Angela and Jessica search for dress shoes, I make a point to find myself a pair of shoes as well. I refuse to leave this store without buying something for myself. I decide on a pair of new boots, my old ones haven't fared too well with Forks' weather. At least the new black ones are waterproof.

Jessica and I make our way over to the jewelry counter. I make a point to look at the jewelry that is in the $20 and under selection. I grin as I find a set of necklaces that are in a shape of a heart, one says _Big Sister_ and the other says _Little Sister_. I decide to buy it for Bella and me.

"When are you supposed to hang out with Paul again?" Jessica questions as she looks through necklaces beside me.

"This Friday," I tell her excitedly, "I'm meeting his grandmother."

She looks at me excited, "That's awesome, Rory! He must really like you if he's inviting you to meet his family."

I grin, "I really hope so. I like him a lot."

"He totally has to," She assures me, "If I was you, I wouldn't even worry about it."

"Thanks, Jess." I say with a smile.

She chooses a necklace that is the same shade of silver as her new shoes. Together we go ahead and purchase our shoes and jewelry before heading back over to Bella and Angela.

Our plan had been to go eat at an Italian Restaurant on the boardwalk; but somehow, dress shopping didn't take as long as we expected it to. We decide that we will put our purchases in the car and then walk down to the bay. I'm not really shocked when Bella informs us that she wants to go to a bookstore. I am, however, shocked when she insists that she go alone telling us she will meet us at the restaurant in an hour. Jessica points out the direction of the bookstore to Bella; then, the three of us make our way out to her car. I spare a look back over my shoulder and catch Bella's eyes as she gives me a reassuring look.

I talk the girls into stopping at an ice-cream shop where I get a chocolate cone. Angela gets a strawberry cone while Jessica gets a chocolate swirl one. We eat our ice cream and chat happily as we walk. Once our hour is up, we make our way to the restaurant that Bella is supposed to meet us at. We notice that she isn't waiting for us outside so we go ahead and go in thinking that maybe she's in there already. Turns out, she isn't inside either.

"What should we do?" Jessica questions as we sit down at a booth.

"Give her some time," I say, "Bella can spend hours looking at books. She probably lost track of time."

We go ahead and order our drinks, and I encourage the girls to go ahead and order their food. I decide I'll wait for my sister to get here. The girls get their plates and start eating as I watch the clock. With every passing minute, I begin to get more nervous. After forty minutes pass, I decide I've had enough of waiting.

"I'm going to go get her." I say casually as I stand up. I try not to let on how worried I've gotten about my sister.

"We'll come with you." Angela says as she pushes her plate away and starts to stand up.

I hold a hand out to stop her, "No, it's okay; finish eating. I'm going to go grab her and we'll be back here in a jiffy."

It takes me a few minutes to reassure them; then, I leave the restaurant. I make my way back towards the big department store so that I can make my way in the direction that Jessica pointed that the book store would be in.

The sidewalks have gotten a little more crowded due to people getting off of work. After about ten minutes of pushing my way through crowds, I am able to find the bookstore. My excitement diminishes quickly as I realize that Bella isn't in here. Could she have went to another bookstore? Could she already be back at the restaurant?

I walk aimlessly around hoping I can catch a glimpse of Bella. I'm startled when a familiar looking silver _Volvo_ pulls up next to me. The passenger window rolls down and I see the face of my twin staring back at me. Upon further inspection, I see Edward Cullen sitting in the driver seat gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." I inform her with a sigh of relief, "You were supposed to meet us over an hour ago."

"I'm sorry," She says sincerely, "I… I ran into Edward at the book store. I lost track of time."

I grin slyly at her, how can I be upset with her when my big sister is _finally_ hanging out with her crush?

I notice a look of amusement cross Edwards face as he looks at me, "Do you want a ride?" I can't help but notice that his tight grip on the steering wheel has eased up.

"Sure." I say appreciatively as I climb in the back and buckle up. There is no need to ask me twice. I have walked up and down this area trying to find Bella and my legs and feet are screaming at me for it.

"Have the girls ate?" Bella questions, somewhat embarrassed for holding us all up.

"Yeah," I inform her, "They are still waiting at the restaurant for us."

It doesn't take us long to make it to the restaurant. Edward does an impressive parallel park – impressive to me seeing as I can't parallel park. I notice Jessica and Angela leaving the building looking anxious.

"Thanks for the ride," I tell Edward, "I'm going to go catch the girls."

I don't wait for a reply before I hop out of the car. Partially because I'm afraid Jessica and Angela are about to walk off; and partially, because I can't stand the nagging feeling in my gut that I seem to get when I'm around the Cullens.

"Jess!" I call out as I run after them, "Angela!"

They turn around to see me and Bella getting out of the car behind me. Their faces show relief, and I know _exactly_ what causes the looks of shock that follows afterwards.

"Where have you been?" Jessica asks suspiciously.

"I got lost," Bella admits sheepishly before gesturing to Edward beside her, "And then I ran into Edward."

I furrow my brows, she didn't tell me that she got lost.

"Would it be alright if I joined you?" Edward questions politely. Based on the looks on Jessica and Angela's faces, one would assume he bedazzled them. _Not weird at all._

"Er… Sure." Jessica breathes.

"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting – sorry." Angela confesses, not knowing I have already informed Bella of them eating.

"That's fine – I'm not hungry." Bella shrugs.

Edward says something in a low tone to Bella before looking up at Jessica and saying, "Do you mind if I drive Bella and Rory home tonight? That way you don't have to wait while they eat?"

I speak up before Jessica has a chance, there's no way I am ruining this moment for my sister. "I've already ate," I lie, "I scarfed my food down before I came to find you Bells."

I watch as Edward raises a disbelieving eyebrow at me, his eyes looking amused. Bella looks at me with a mixture of disbelief and gratitude.

"Uh, no problem, I guess…" Jessica bites her lip, trying to figure out from Bella's expression if this is what she wants. The wink she sends to Jessica makes the decision a clear and easy one.

"Okay," Angela speaks up first, "See you tomorrow, Bella… Edward."

"See you at home," I tell Bella, giving her a look that informs her that I will want all of the details. I give a quick glance at Edward, "Bye."

Together, Angela and I grab onto Jessica's hands basically drag her to her car.

After we pull out of our parking spot I speak up, "Can we _please_ stop by Taco Bell? I'm starving!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and reviewed.**

 **Natsumi456: Maybe this chapter will make up for the last one.**

 **Booklover345: I'm glad you love the story! I love that part as well! No, Bella will not be ignoring Rory. They both are exploring relationships with these new guys in their lives. So they both understand where the other is coming from… Now down the road, there will be some sibling rivalry; but not for a long time.**

 **BCgurlie: I can't wait for his phase either! It will be interesting to see how it all plays out!**

 **Jessie the twilight girl: She sure is!**

 **Guest: I never meant to imply that being a feminist is a bad thing. I apologize if it was taken the wrong way; my intention is that it was simply a joke between the two sisters.**

 **Anon: Thank you, I update as often as I can. My only promise is that I will not abandon the story.**

 **Flowerchild23: I'm glad it could make you laugh! Thank you!**

 **Wolf-girl-only-in-my-dreams: I'm glad you love the story!**

 **Just a heads up, there is a second author's note at the bottom.**

 **Here's chapter 12, please let me know what you think! Thank you!**

 _Meeting Mimsie_

The twenty minutes I spend worrying about what I am supposed to say to Dad about Bella's absence turns out to be pointless. The sight I find is Dad passed out in his favorite chair with _Judge Judy_ playing on the TV. I manage to hold back a small laugh at the sight of a beer can still in his left hand. I quietly make my way upstairs, careful not to let my bags make too loud of a rustling sound. I let out a sigh of relief after I quietly shut the bedroom door behind me. I decide to hide the necklaces I bought inside my underwear drawer – Bella will never look in there. The necklace will be a great birthday gift for my twin; it's not too flashy or expensive. There is no way she will be able to complain. For some reason, Bella has always hated receiving birthday gifts. I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for the fact that we share a birthday, she would probably not even acknowledge the day's existence.

* * *

I lay down my copy of _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ as I notice headlights shining in the window. I walk over and peek out the window to see Edward's silver _Volvo._ I watch as Bella climbs out of the car and starts making her way to the front door. I quickly make my way out of the room and peer down the stairs. I let out the breath I've been holding when I hear the sound of a baseball game playing. I tiptoe down the stairs and manage to get to the bottom step just as Bella walks into the house.

"Girls, is that you?" Dad calls from the living room as Bella shuts the front door behind her.

"Yeah Dad," Bella says as she steps into the living room, "It's us."

"You're home early." Dad comments as I step into the room behind Bella.

"Are we?" Bella asks, surprise evident in her voice.

"It's not even eight yet," He tells us, "Did you girls have fun?"

I nod eagerly and grin at him, "I got new boots."

He smiles at me as he scratches the back of his neck, "That's good."

"Yeah – it was lots of fun," Bella speaks up in a weird tone, "They both found dresses."

"Are you alright?" Dad questions Bella with narrowed eyes.

I smirk, if only he knew that she was more than alright. She finally got to spend some time with Edward.

"I'm tired. I did a lot of walking." Bella tells him.

"Well, maybe you should go lie down." Dad tells her concerned.

I need to get a shower before bed so I leave them and make my way upstairs. Just as I open the bathroom door, I hear the phone ring. The part of me that hopes its Paul causes me to take off running down the stairs yelling, "I got it!"

I frown as I see Bella put the phone to her ear, saying a breathless "Hello."

"Is it Paul?" I demand to know reaching for the phone.

She swats her hand at me, basically shooing me away.

"Bella!" I say exasperated, "Who is it?"

"Hey, Jess," Bella says into the phone while giving me a pointed look, "I was just going to call you."

I roll my eyes and sigh as I make my way back upstairs and hop in the shower.

* * *

In my seventeen years of living, there is one thing I have come to know pretty well about myself. I am an impatient person and I can say that with confidence. No matter how much I try to be patient, it normally wears thin after about ten minutes. That being said, Bella's shower is now going on 35 minutes.

An exasperated sigh escapes my lips as she finally makes her way into our room. I stare at her expectantly as she makes her way to her bed. I narrow my eyes as I watch her slowly throw her covers back and climb on her bed, making herself comfortable. Sure the girl looks exhausted, as if she has had a super long day. But that doesn't matter, I need details and I need them now. I jump off of my bed and go sit on her bed, directly in front of her. We hold each other's gaze for a moment, and I know she gets the hint that I'm not going to let her go to sleep until I hear what I want.

"I think I'm in love, Rory." She whispers to me with wide eyes.

I blink at her before a grin slowly grows on my face, "Really?"

She nods her head at me, "He's just amazing, Rory."

"So, did you do things other than walking that would make you so tired?" I tease as I wink at her.

"Rory!" She exclaims, blushing, "Of course not!"

I let out a laugh, "So, how was dinner?"

"It was good. There was this really pretty waitress that was ogling him, would you believe me if I told you that he didn't even look in her direction?" I can hear the shock in her voice. My dear sister doesn't realize that she _is_ beautiful enough to catch and keep a guy's attention. Edward would be a complete fool if he would have looked at someone other than Bella.

"Yeah, I can believe it!" I state as a matter-of-fact as I gesture towards her, "I mean _look_ at you!"

"Shut up, Rory." She says jokingly as she blushes again.

"What did you two talk about?" I inquire, not ready to let this topic go. My sister thinks she's in love, this is a huge deal. From the best of my knowledge, she has only had like maybe three major conversations with him. I need to know what on Earth they talked about that made my sister fall in love so quickly. I mean, I definitely like Paul – but I wouldn't go so far as to say that I love the guy.

She nervously tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "You know, just the normal 'get to know you' stuff."

I chew on my bottom lip as I try to decide whether I should pry harder or not. On one hand, I'm ecstatic that she has told me this much. On the other hand, I'm so excited for her that I want to know everything. I let out a small sigh as I choose to just be satisfied with what she has already told me. Who knows, one day I might not want to share all the details with her.

"I'm really happy for you, Bells." I tell her sincerely with a wide smile.

"Thanks, Rory," She smiles back, "I'm pretty happy, too."

For once, I can tell she means it. Somehow, Edward Cullen has sucked my sister in and has made her happy. Two months ago, I would have never believed that Bella would ever be happy here in Forks… But look at her now, all happy and _apparently_ in love.

* * *

One glance out the window this morning informs that I would be so much happier if I stayed at home in bed; maybe even watch some TV in my pajamas. It's dark and foggy, the kind of foggy that makes it really hard to see anything.

For once, I am completely ready to leave before Bella. I've already eaten breakfast with Dad, and he has already left for work by the time Bella comes down stairs. I watch her has she scarfs down a granola bar in three bites and wonder if she had any chance to chew before she swallowed.

"Let's go," She tells me as she walks out of the kitchen, "We don't want to be late."

I slide my raincoat over my blue long-sleeved V-neck and follow her out the door. The mist from the fog is really cold and uncomfortable as it bites at my face. I'm sure my nose and cheeks are a nice shade of red.

To say that I am surprised to find Edward's car in our drive way would be an understatement. I feel downright giddy for my sister and if I didn't have more control over myself I would probably force her to jump up and down with me while I squeal loudly in her ears.

I watch with a stupid grin on my face as he opens the passenger side door open for my sister.

"Do you want to ride with my today?" He asks Bella amused before glancing over at me, almost like an afterthought, "The offer is for you too, Rory."

"No," I say shaking my head while smirking, "I wouldn't dream of leaving this _tank_ behind. It's a jealous one, I tell ya." I pat the driver's side door with mocking affection.

"Yes, thank you." Bella says in a calm voice, though the look she throws at me before climbing in the car is anything but calm. My sister is an extreme mixture of nervousness and excitement. I can say that I understand that combination quite well – I feel that way every time I see Paul. I shoot her a subtle thumbs up before I climb inside the truck.

"I guess it's just you and me today." I say as I crank the truck up and hope that it warms up quickly.

* * *

I make a mad dash to my first class, and luckily I walk into the classroom right as the late bell rings. I let out sigh of relief as I put my jacket on the rack and quickly make my way to my seat next to my sister.

"What took you so long?" Bella whispers over to me.

"Turns out, I suck at driving in foggy weather," I whisper back with a frown, "I had a long line of cars following behind me honking because I was going ten miles per hour at the most. It was completely embarrassing."

Bella does her best to stifle her laughter, "I'm sorry."

Luckily, as our classes pass by so does the fog outside. Maybe I won't have the same issue driving home that I had coming to school this morning. I feel heat rise up my neck at the mere thought of it.

In Trig class, I manage to do my work and listen to Bella and Jessica's conversation which is obviously about Edward. I'm a little bit surprised to find out that Bella is going to Seattle with Edward on Saturday. I make sure to send her a huge grin when she mentions it, which she returns. I can tell she is happy and excited and I am beyond happy for her. It's not that much of a shock that she believes that she likes him more than he likes her. I'll never understand why she sells herself short. She is beautiful, intelligent, caring, and so many other amazing things; if only she would realize these things for herself.

At lunch time, we find Edward leaning against the wall next to our Spanish class obviously waiting for Bella. I smirk at Bella as I tell her I will see her after lunch all the while dragging Jessica behind me.

Jessica and I spend our lunch time looking over at Bella and Edward… Well, she spends lunch looking at them. I merely send a glance or two over every now and again to make sure Bella still looks comfortable. As long as she is comfortable and happy, I don't feel the need to watch their every movement. Now, if I thought he was being a jerk to her, I would not hesitate to give him a swift kick in the throat.

I happen to glance back their way at the same time that I notice Edward's eyes have found Jessica's obvious ogling.

"Stop staring at them," I hiss at Jessica after I swallow a bite of peaches, "You're going to make Bella nervous."

Before Jessica can respond, Lauren beats her to it from a few people down.

"She should be nervous – he's Edward Cullen," Lauren sneers, "I don't know why he would be interested in _her_ anyway."

I send her a heated glare as I clench my fist so hard that I feel my nails digging into my palms.

"Excuse me?" I hiss at her fighting to keep my voice down, "I don't care _who_ he is. _He_ is the lucky one to have _her_ sitting next to him. Just ask Tyler, I bet he would agree with me."

Low blow, I know.

My glare remains on her as she looks around at our now silent table looking for someone to contradict me. The last person she looks at is Tyler, who pretends to be extremely interested in his mashed potatoes to avoid looking at her.

"Whatever." She huffs before standing up and storming out of the cafeteria.

"Ouch." Jessica mumbles before taking a drink of water. She turns her attention back to my sister and Edward causing me to roll my eyes.

* * *

Bella and I are sitting at the kitchen table doing homework when the house phone rings causing us both to jump. We make eye contact before tripping out of our chairs trying to beat the other one to the phone. We both have hopes that it will be 'our' guy on the phone. A lot of pushing and shoving comes into play before I finally manage to yank the phone out of Bella's hand.

"Hello?" I say, breathlessly and huff at a laugh at the look on Bella's face.

"Uh... Rory?" I hear the uncertain voice of Paul ask causing me to grin excitedly.

"Yeah, this is Rory," I say, "Hey Paul."

"Hey," I can hear a smirk in his voice, "I was making sure our plans on still on for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'm really excited."

"Mimsie is too. She is making her famous roast for you."

"That's sweet of her," I smile, "Now I know where you get it from."

He scoffs, "I was born this way. Just like I was born a gentleman, baby."

I snicker, "I'm sure."

"Mimsie is expecting us here around 4."

"Am I driving there or?" I question uncertainly, secretly hoping he will come pick me up.

"I'm picking you up," He tells me, "I'll be at your house around 3:30 to 3:45."

"I have a question," I say hesitantly, "but don't laugh."

"Okay, what's the question?"

"What should I wear?" I ask quietly, "I don't want Mimsie to not like me."

"She's going to like you," He assures me before snickering, "Just don't come naked."

"Well, damn." I mutter sarcastically, "There goes _that_ plan."

"I mean, personally, I would be alright with you coming that way but –"

I cut him off, my face growing hot, "Shut up, Paul."

"Are you blushing?" He inquires amused, "Did I embarrass you?"

"No and no." I say quickly.

"Sorry." He says, "I was just teasing you. Listen, just wear what you normally do. You look beautiful no matter what and she _already_ likes you."

My heart pounds as I smile like a moron knowing he thinks I'm beautiful – a guy like Paul thinks _I'm_ beautiful. Eek!

"How do you know she already likes me?" I question as I twirl the phone cord between my fingers, "She's hasn't met me yet."

"She likes what she's heard." He tells me, "If she didn't, you wouldn't be meeting her."

I hear Paul's name being called in the background.

"Hey, Rory," He says, "I've got to help Mimsie. I'll be there to pick around 3:30, alright?"

"I'll be waiting," I say before jokingly adding, "Completely clothed."

"Well, damn." He jokes back, "But I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Rory."

"Bye Paul."

I hang up the phone and see Bella staring at me amused with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Completely clothed, huh?" She questions with an eyebrow raised.

I force a laugh as my cheeks burn, "Shut up, Bella."

* * *

School went by today in a blur, I'm not sure if I can even remember much of what was even said today due to my nervous and excited state. I vaguely remember the odd rumor here and there about my sister and Edward's relationship. At this point, they both know that they are interested in each other, although, I'm not sure if they are technically in an official relationship yet. Heck, how am I supposed to concentrate on her unofficial relationship when I have my own unofficial relationship to think about?

"You look fine, Rory." Bella tells me as I attempt to fix invisible wrinkles in my purple long sleeve.

I sigh, "Are you sure?"

I look in the mirror at my shirt that I paired with some blue skinny jeans and my new boots. I would go to school like this any day, but is it good enough to meet Paul's grandma in?

"Yes, I'm sure." She tells me as she puts her hands on my shoulders forcing me to look her in the eyes, "Everything is going to be alright."

I take a deep breath and nod my head, I smile at her, "Thanks Bells."

She smiles back, "You're welcome. Now go downstairs, he will be here any minute."

I do as she says and make my way downstairs. I find myself standing in front of the living room window, peering out. I choose not to put much thought into the fact that I look like someone stalking the neighborhood. Excitement courses through my veins when I see Paul's blue truck pull into the driveway. I quickly make my way to the door and throw my raincoat on. I open the door at the same time that Paul has his hand raised to knock. I take notice of the black hoodie and blue jeans that he is wearing, yet again glad that I chose not to wear anything super special. He smirks at me as he looks me up and down

"I see you kept your word." He comments with a grin.

I ignore the heat I feel on my face and smirk back, "I always do."

He gives me a genuine smile that makes my breath catch in my throat.

"You ready to go?" He questions as he puts his hand on my lower back causing warmth to spread throughout my body.

"Yeah," I say smiling back at him, "Let's go."

He leads me to the truck and opens the door for me and closes the door once I am securely inside. I buckle up as I wait for him to climb into the driver side. I start fidgeting when we are about halfway to La Push. My mind going wild with scenarios of his grandma kicking me out of the house. My nervousness has caught Paul's attention.

"Relax," He says soothingly, with a hint of amusement, "She won't bite you."

I bite my bottom lip and stare at him wide eyed.

He lets out an exaggerated sigh, "Come here."

I furrow my brows, not understanding what he wants me to do.

He smirks at me as he reaches over with his right hand and unbuckles my seatbelt. He pats the spot right next to him, "Come here."

I ignore my heartbeat that is pounding in my ears as I scoot across the seat and buckle myself in. He reaches down, his fingers brushing along my left hand before he grabs my hand firmly and intertwines his fingers with mine. His hand is warm, a comforting warm that causes warmth to spread from my hand to the rest of my body. I finally understand the excitement that holding hands causes all the protagonists in the love stories I've read.

"Is this okay?" He questions with a smirk, though I can hear the slight hesitance in his tone.

"Yeah," I breathe, "This is okay."

I look down at our hands, his hand is larger than mine and his fingers are longer as well. I can't tell if my pale skin makes him look tanner… or if his tanned skin makes me look paler. Our hands look so different and yet they feel so perfect together. They remind me of puzzle pieces, and not the kind that I have forced together just because I got tired of searching for the right piece. Oh God, if holding his hand makes me think that I wonder what the rest –

"You really don't have to worry. She's going to love you." Paul tells me with smile.

I smile back, "I hope so. I never spent much time with my grandparents."

"Why not?" He questions, curiously.

"Well Grandma Helen and Grandpa Geoffrey passed away when I was like two. Gran Marie passed away when I was twelve. I mean, I did spend some time with her. She doted on Bella and me quite a lot."

"I'm sorry." Paul says sincerely.

I give him a small smile, "It's alright."

We spend the rest of the ride in a comfortable silence, simply listening to music and enjoying each other's company. It doesn't take me long to realize that _Nickelback_ must be one of Paul's favorite bands. The CD we are listening to is the same one he had playing when we went on our date.

Ten minutes later, Paul pulls into a small driveway that is situated in front of a two-story log cabin. The cabin is beautiful, and reminds of the cabins I have read about in books – talk about romantic. The house is situated on about an acre of land that doesn't have trees on it, but beyond that acre the land is surrounded by the forest on all four sides. Three steps lead up at a covered porch that follows the length of the front of the house, various plants are set about. Two rocking chairs set next to the front door.

"It's beautiful." I tell Paul as I take it all in.

"My Grandpa built it for Mimsie back when they first got married." I can hear the pride in his tone.

"He's very talented."

"He _was_. He passed away five years ago from cancer." He informs me, sadness evident in his tone.

"I'm sorry, Paul." I say sincerely, giving his hand a comforting squeeze.

He squeezes back, "Come on, Mimsie is waiting to meet you."

"You're not going to let go, right?" I ask meekly, gesturing towards our hands.

He smiles at me, "Not if you don't want me to."

I quickly shake my head, holding his hand provides a comfort that I never thought was possible.

He gives my hand a comforting squeeze before pulling me towards the house. I follow behind him into the house. The small living room is comfortably warm thanks to the crackling fire in the fireplace. I'm comforted by the smell of pine and also the smell of delicious food. There is a black leather sofa that sets next to a brown recliner. On the wall above the fireplace place is a flat screen TV. Pictures line the walls of a young Paul, and there is a wedding photo on a small table next to the recliner.

"Paul," A low feminine voice calls out from the kitchen, "Is she here?"

Paul smiles down at me before pulling me towards the kitchen which is to the left of the living room.

"She's here." Paul responds as we enter the medium sized kitchen. There is a small brown table with four matching brown chairs that sits next to the window. Standing in front of the stove is a woman about my height, maybe an inch taller, with greying black hair that is in two braids. Her skin is the same tone as Paul's and she has the same dark eyes as him as well. She has laugh lines, and some slight wrinkles – though, it definitely doesn't take away from the natural beauty she has. She smiles at me, and I notice it is the same smile Paul has. She wipes her hands on the white apron she is wearing over her purple t-shirt and blue jeans as she walks towards me.

"You must be, Rory," She says as she envelops me in a warm, comforting hug, "You can call me Mimsie."

She pulls back, keeping her hands on my shoulders as she peers at my face with a grin.

"I've heard so much about you," She informs me with a wink. "Paul was right when he said you were beautiful!"

"Mimsie." Paul groans from beside me, though he has a small smile on his face.

"It's nice to meet you." I tell her with a smile.

"It's nice to _finally_ meet you, too. Paul has been talking about you for months it seems."

"She's exaggerating." Paul deadpans, narrowing his eyes at his grandmother.

"Don't listen to him," She tells me in a conspiratorial tone, "He's just embarrassed."

"Don't listen to her," Paul says mimicking Mimsie, "She's just senile."

She laughs as she lightly smacks his arm before turning her attention back to me.

"Come here, you have to try this," She says grabbing my right hand effectively pulling me out of Paul's grasp as she leads me over to the stove, "I've been working on it all day, it's a family secret recipe."

She uses a fork to get a small piece of roast and hands the fork to me, "Careful, it's hot."

I blow on the meat a few times before putting it in my mouth. My tongue is assaulted with so many different delicious flavors. I can hands down say that I have never had such an amazing, flavorful roast before.

"Mmm," I moan slightly, closing my eyes. "This is amazing."

I open my eyes to see her grinning smugly at Paul who rolls his eyes.

She snickers at him, "I made her moan before you."

Needless to say, I choke on the meat I was just in the process of swallowing.

Paul's face turns slightly red as he lightly pounds on my back until I stop choking.

"Too soon?" Mimsie asks sheepishly.

"Yeah, I think so," Paul tells her before looking at me, "Ignore her, she's a bit of a perv at times."

I clear my throat, "No, it's fine. It just shocked me a little bit."

I watch as Mimsie's face brightens, "We are going to get along great, Rory, I just know it."

I smile back hesitantly.

"You two sit down while I fix our plates." Mimsie shoos us away. I sit down in the chair that faces the window and Paul sits down to my right side. He sits close enough that his knee is firmly placed against my own. I can't help but wish that the table was situated so that he would be directly next to me, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.

Mimsie places our plates in front of us and takes a seat in the chair across from me. As we eat, Paul keeps nudging his knee into mine and smirking at me.

"What do you plan on doing once you graduate high school, Rory?" Mimsie asks me after a moment of silence.

I swallow that bite I have in my mouth before answering, "My sister and I plan on going to college in Florida."

"What do you want to go to college for?" She inquires, interested.

"I want to be a math teacher." I tell her with excitement in my tone, "I love math, it's about the only subject I am really good at. But I know that a lot of kids hate it. My hope is that maybe I could make it easier to learn which might make kids see that it isn't that terrible."

She smiles slyly at me, "That's really good. Maybe you should _tutor_ Paul in math."

I watch as Paul rolls his eyes, "Seriously though, I could use your help with math if you wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, just let me know when." I tell him with a smile.

"Just make sure you wrap it." Mimsie throws in casually. After seeing the look Paul gives her she quickly adds, "Kidding. But you seriously better if it comes down to that. I don't want any great-grandchildren until you have your High School Diploma."

"Are you and your sister connected at the hip?" She questions me after her and Paul's little stare down is over.

I shrug, "We're twins. We've always done everything together."

"Not now though, right?" She asks as she sends a quick glance over at Paul.

"I guess not. We've both been a bit preoccupied." I say, slightly blushing as I glance towards Paul whom I find smirking back at me.

"Oh, boys will do that to you." She tells me smiling fondly, "Same thing happened to me and my cousin when we were younger. Everywhere one of us was the other was right around the corner. That is until I met Ezra. I fell in love so quickly with that man. Luckily, she found Niles at the same time so she didn't feel _too_ ditched. So, who is your sister dating?"

"Well, I don't think they are dating yet," I say smiling back at her, "But his name is Edward Cullen."

A look of wariness and warning passes through her eyes for a moment, before she smiles hesitantly and changes the subject.

"Maybe you can take Paul down to Florida with you. The boy needs to go to college."

I look over at Paul and watch as he rolls his eyes again. During the whole meal, he has just been smiling contently looking back and forth between Mimsie and me. My guess is that he is pretty pleased with how the visit is going. The rest of dinner goes by with mainly Mimsie and me talking with Paul adding something in here and there. Mimsie is a very wise woman, who uses sexual innuendos often, and yet still has a personality that you can't help but find yourself comfortable around.

"I'm going to go down and see Sue and Harry for a little bit." She tells us after dinner. She winks and jokingly adds, "Remember what I said about keeping it wrapped."

"It was really nice to meet you, Mimsie." I tell her with a smile.

"You too, Rory," She says giving me a hug, "You're welcome here anytime."

I help Paul wash the dishes, he scrubs while I rinse. It's a comfortable routine that I could easily get used to. After a moment, I finally build up the courage to ask what I have been dying to know since our date. I take a deep breath, before asking as casually I can muster, "So, I'm just wondering but why didn't you kiss me after our date?"

He stills beside me and let's go of the plate and sponge that he's holding. He turns to look at me with an intense gaze that causes my mouth to go dry. I try really, really hard to swallow.

"I was going to, but the look in your eyes told me you were terrified. So I decided to wait until you were more comfortable."

"I've never been kissed before." I admit quietly, a blush making its way up my neck.

"Yeah, right." He snickers, his face filled with amusement, "I bet next you're going to tell me you've never had a boyfriend either."

I look down at my hands in embarrassment, "I haven't."

"Really?" I can hear the disbelief in his tone.

"Really."

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see him drying his hands on a dish cloth. He reaches over and uses his fingers to lift my chin up and so that I am looking at him in the eye. He's standing a lot closer to me than he was a minute ago, causing my heart to pound so hard that I swear you can see the fabric of my shirt moving along with it. My breath catches in my throat as both of his warm hands cup my face as he inches his face closer to mine. With his face so close to me, I can see that his eyes aren't just a dark brown like I had originally thought. The line around the iris is black, while the brown itself if made up of different hues of brown – varying between dark brown, and a reddish-orange brown.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" He whispers, his breath blowing against my lips, "Right now?"

I swallow thickly as I turn the rest of my body towards him.

"Yeah." I breathe as my hands start shaking lightly.

I watch as his tongue darts out and wets his lips, causing me to subconsciously do the same. I notice his pupils have dilated as he looks from my lips back up to my eyes. He leans in and we both close our eyes. My breath hitches in my throat as his warm, smooth lips meet mine. All I can hear is the sound my heart pounding in my ears as my nose is assaulted with the smell of pine and a hint of cologne. His lips part slightly, causing mine to do the same. His hands trail from cheeks until they are tangled in my hair, pulling me closer until my entire front is pressed against his. Unsure of what to do with my hands that have started to sweat, I reach out to his sides and grasp his t-shirt tightly. Thoughts of anything but this guy and this moment are completely shut out of my mind – my entire being is consumed by him. He turns us so that my lower back connects with the counter behind us, his tongue hesitantly brushes against my bottom lip.

"Remember to wrap it kids."

Startled, we jump apart and turn to see Mimsie standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a sly smirk on her face.

 **Authors Note: Too soon? I've never had to try to write a kissing scene so this was a bit difficult. Please give me some feedback on what you liked and didn't like. Thank you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: I am so sorry that it has taken so long to post this. I've been having some health issues, along with starting back college classes and taking care of my family. Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and reviewed. I am so glad that everyone loved Mimsie, she will definitely be a big character in the story.**

 **FlowerChild23: I'm glad you love Mimsie, she is definitely a character! We will have to see how this all turns out for Rory and Paul.**

 **Booklover345: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for the reassurance! Mimsie is definitely something else lol.**

 **shayna . kasdan: I'm glad you loved it and that you found it hilarious!**

 **The bunny always dies first: Thank you for the reassurance! Rory feels the same way! Lol!**

 **xXMoonlitSorrowsXx: Thank you for the reassurance! I'm glad that you like the progression of their relationship. I've always thought that Bella fell really fast – which some people do. Rory, on the other hand, likes Paul but she isn't head-over-heels yet.**

 **Guest: I've never said that this was a Jacob story. Honestly, this is a Rory story.**

 **Micky-Moo: I'm glad you loved Mimsie as well as the chapter!**

 **riro14: I picture Erin Chambers as Aurora (just with blue eyes). Right now, I was worried about establishing characters, hopefully it will be up to speed soon.**

 **wolf-girl-only-in-my-dreams: I'm glad you love the chapter and Mimsie. She is definitely a character! Lol! I'm glad you love Paul and Rory together!**

 **mNmcswain: I'm so glad you love Mimsie! Thank you for enjoying my writing style!**

 **Osen-san: I'm glad you love the story! It will definitely be a long and interesting road for Rory. I'm glad you love Mimsie, there will be plenty more of her in the future. I'm glad you love Paul and Rory together!**

 **Here's Chapter 13, let me know what you think! Thank you!**

 _Pajamas and Popcorn_

The three of us stand there staring at each other for a long moment. Mimsie with that same sly smirk on her face; Paul looks partially annoyed and dare I say even a little bit smug; and me, well I seem to be the only one completely embarrassed by the whole situation. Who wants their first kiss to be interrupted by the other person's grandma? Not this girl, that's for sure.

"Oh please, don't stop on my account." Mimsie quips breaking the silence as she leans against the doorway with her arms crossed.

Paul crosses his arms and leans his back against the counter. The same counter that he just a moment ago had pushed me back into while giving me the most amazing first kiss. I'm sure I will remember this moment forever – even the part about Mimsie walking in.

"You have the _worst_ timing." Paul huffs and rolls his eyes.

"I'm not the one who told you to attack your girlfriend in the kitchen." Mimsie retorts with a smirk, "If you wanted privacy, don't you think you should've went to your room?"

My eyes widen slightly, I know for a fact that this would never be a conversation between Dad and I. Possibly Mom, but definitely not Dad. Now that I think about it, Mimsie kind of reminds me of Mom. She definitely makes the same suggestive jokes and remarks, not to mention she is the queen of reminding us to use protection. Not that Bella and I ever needed the reminder. Our dating life had always been nonexistent.

"I'll keep that in mind next time." Paul remarks before turning back around to finish washing the dishes.

I look back and forth between the two with wide eyes. I fight the grin threatening to appear on my face due to the single fact that he didn't correct her about me being his girlfriend. What does that mean?

I turn back around so that I can rinse the bowl that he placed in my side of the sink. I quickly rinse it off and set it down the drying mat next to me. Paul nudges my arm with his elbow and when I look up at him he sends me a grin and a wink. I grin back at him like the dork that I am. I vaguely hear Mimsie saying something about going to watch her shows. Paul looks over his shoulder to see that she really did leave before looking back down at me, rather smugly.

"Well, now you've been kissed." He states as he hands me a spoon.

"Yes, I have." I say as I rinse the spoon.

"Let me guess, it was better than you ever dreamed it would be?" Cue smug smirk.

"Eh, it was alright." I say as I do my hand in a 'so-so' manner.

"Okay, I see how it is." He says calmly before cupping a little bit of water in his hands and throwing it at me causing me to squeal when it hits me in the face.

I reach my hands over into his side of the sink and do my best to splash him back. With my luck though, I only manage to make his shirt wet. He looks down at his shirt and sends me a playful glare.

"Oh, it's on now." He states before using his hands to get as much water as possible and throwing it at me.

Next thing I know, chaos ensues. Water is flying everywhere and all that can be heard is the loud laughter coming from the two of us. I try to step away and end up slipping on the floor and land on my butt. Paul holds his stomach from laughing so hard at my misfortune.

"You should see your face." He barely manages to make out.

"Me?" I retort between my own laughter, "You should look at yourself."

Paul's hair is soaking wet with soap suds in it as well. Some bubbles are clinging to the top of his right ear. He looks like he belongs on an episode of _Sesame Street_ and should be singing about a rubber duck.

He calms down after a moment and helps me up.

"I'm going to get the mop." He informs me as we look around at the mess we have made. There is a puddle of water on the floor by the sink, and the counter top needs to be dried as well. He walks over to the pantry and brings out the mop and a dish towel. He tosses me the dish towel which I use to dry the counter while he dries the floor.

"Come on, you can wear one of my shirts and I'll throw yours in the dryer." He tells me as he looks down at my soaked shirt.

He takes my hand and leads me out of the kitchen and up the stairs. There are two doors on the left side and one on the right. He leads me into the one door on the right side. The room is small, but cozy. The full sized bed in the middle of the room has a navy comforter that is thrown haphazardly on it. A medium sized plasma TV is the on the wall across from the bed, a shelf filled with DVD's set underneath the TV. There is a small, brown dresser on the left side of the bed that sets next to the window. The closet is on the right side of the bed. There are some dirty clothes on the floor here and there.

He lets go of my hand as he goes and digs in his closet. He pulls out a plain black t-shirt and reaches down to grab a black towel off the floor. I watch as he sniffs the towel and shrugs his shoulders.

"Here's you a shirt and if you need it, here's a towel." He hands them to me and looks down at my jeans, "Eh, you want some pajama pants, too?"

I nod my head, my jeans do need some time to dry too. He opens the third drawer on the dresser and pulls out a pair of blue plaid pajama pants. Luckily for me, they have a draw string. He hands me the pants.

"I'll be right outside the door." He informs me as he walks out the door and closes it behind him.

I quickly change into the clothes he gave me. I want to say that the shirt smells like Paul, but realistically it smells like _Gain_ laundry detergent – which smells pretty dang good, if I do say so myself. The shirt is a little big on me, and I have to pull the straw string tight on the pants. The clothes may be big, but they are also really comfortable. I gather my clothes in my hands and I make my way over and open the door. Paul is leaning against the wall beside the door and smirks down at me. I watch his eyes trail up and down my body before he makes eye contact with me. As soon as his brown eyes meet mine, his face breaks out into a grin.

"Comfy?" He questions as he takes my clothes out of my hands.

"Very." I smile.

He winks at me, "You look cute."

"Thanks." I say, ignoring the heat I feel creeping up my neck.

"Come pick out a movie." He tells as he makes his way into his room, "I'll change my shirt, and after I throw these in the dryer we can hang out in here."

I swallow thickly, the thought of being alone with him in his room causes my heart to beat erratically.

"Okay." I say as I make my way over to the DVD filled shelf. Looking at his collection of movies, I can tell that he likes horror, action, and comedy. I smile to myself as I come across _National Treasure._ I've been wanting to see this movie since it came out last year. I pluck the movie off the shelf and turn around to ask him if this movie is a good choice.

"Can we wat—" My eyes widen as I take in the sight of a shirtless Paul staring back at me, amusement clear on his face. I try so hard to keep my eyes on his face, and I fail oh so miserably. I knew his arms were toned, therefore, I am completely clueless as to why I'm surprised to find that his torso is as well. It's apparent that the muscles he has come from years of hard work and playing sports. His body is toned, but not ripped. His naturally tanned skin doesn't have a single blemish – it's so unfair.

"You can touch me if ya want." He teases with a sly smirk, as he holds his hands out at his sides in invitation.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to take him up on the offer. I would love to run my hands along his chest and back – trace my fingers along his ab muscles. I swallow thickly.

"You're blushing." He informs me, amusement evident in his eyes.

"Put a shirt on, loser." I retort, smirking back at him.

"Only because I don't want you to be embarrassed when you start drooling." He jokes as he pulls a plain white T-shirt on.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I say as I roll my eyes, a large smile fighting to break out.

"Having you here would help me sleep at night." He quips, sending me a wink.

I smirk at him, but I don't say anything. I'm afraid if I do, something will come out that makes me sound like an idiot. Luckily for me, it looks like he decides to give me a break.

"What movie did you pick out?" He asks ask he gather all of the clothes in his hands that need to be dried.

"National Treasure." I say as I hold the case up for him to see.

He nods his head, "Sounds good, put it in the DVD player while I take these downstairs."

I put the movie in and crawl on his bed to make myself comfortable. I prop one of his two pillows up against the dark brown headboard and lean back against it. I glance over to the right and notice a familiar book on top of the dresser. I grin as I snatch _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ off the dresser. His bookmark is an empty skittles packet and I smile when I see that he is on chapter ten. On our first date, when I did my best to convince him to read these books he was adamant that he is the type of guy who doesn't read. _Well, looks like he reads now._ I carefully place the book back where I got and proceed to act like I never spotted it.

A few minutes later Paul comes walking into the room carrying a bowl of popcorn and two Cokes.

He sits down on the bed next to me and passes me a drink and places the popcorn on the bed in between us.

"Ready?" He questions as he grabs the remote for the DVD player.

There are so many things that I am ready for. Ready for him to kiss me again. Ready to call him my boyfriend. I guess I'm also ready for this movie.

"Ready."

* * *

By the time the movie ends, my clothes are dry and it is getting late which means it's time for me to go home. Unfortunately.

Paul brings me my clothes and steps out of his room as he waits for me to change. I do so quickly, and then we are on our way down the stairs so that I can tell Mimsie bye. We find her sitting in the living room watching _Law & Order: SVU_.

"Mimsie, I've got to bring Rory home." Paul says which catches Mimsie's attention.

She makes her way over to us with a smile on her face and she quickly pulls me into a warm hug.

"It was so nice to meet you, Rory." She informs me as she pulls away, although she keeps her hands holding onto to my upper arms.

I smile at her, "It was nice to meet you, too."

"Come back anytime," She grins, "Paul doesn't even have to be here."

"I'll take you up on that offer." I grin back.

She gives my arms a squeeze before pulling Paul into a hug as well.

"Be careful." She tells him as she lets go.

"Always." He responds, smiling at her.

"You ready?" He asks me, gesturing with his head towards the door.

 _No_.

"Yeah." I say, nodding my head as I start to head towards the door.

He opens the door for me, and leads me out to his truck with his hand firmly on my lower back.

He opens the truck door for me and shuts it once he is sure that I am completely in. He jogs to his side of the truck and quickly gets in. He looks at me and pats the spot next to him.

"You can sit here if you want," He grins, "I promise not to bite – _hard_."

I roll my eyes as I slide over so that I am on the middle of the seat and quickly buckle my seat belt. He smiles at me as he reaches down with his right hand to hold mine which causes me to smile back at him.

The ride home is a comfortable one. We listen to the radio and just enjoy each other's company. I could happily spend my time sitting here in his truck, holding his hand, and just listening to music. I feel so content – so happy. I let out a small, disappointed sigh as we pull into the driveway in front of my house.

"So, I noticed you didn't correct Mimsie when she called me your girlfriend." I mention hesitantly. I am a completely curious about this and I also am not ready for him to leave.

I watch as his left hand reaches up to rub the back of his neck and he smiles sheepishly at me.

"Was I supposed to?" He asks raising an eyebrow.

I shrug, "I'm just curious as to why you didn't."

He smirks down at me, "Maybe because I wouldn't mind if you _were_ my girlfriend."

My heart pounds as I manage to smirk back at him, "Maybe I wouldn't mind, either."

"Well, I guess that settles it then." He whispers as he leans his face closer to mine.

"Settles what?" I whisper back, breathlessly.

"You're mine." He whispers in a firm tone before his lips crash into mine.


	14. Chapter 14

_She Will Be Loved_

The rain pours down on us as Paul and I make a run for the front door of my house. Our shoes make loud sloshing noises as they land in puddle after puddle. The air is cold but I am able to find some comfort in the small amount of warmth that Paul's hand clutching mine gives me. The alcove above the front door offers us a dry place to stand.

Paul stands in front of me, his chest nearly touching mine. He looks down at me with an easy grin on his face, "I told you that Mimsie would like you. You had nothing to worry about."

"I'm glad," I grin back at him, "I really am."

"I'll call you tomorrow when I get off of work," Paul tells me before somewhat hesitantly adding, "If that's alright with you?"

I smile as I nod at him, "Yeah, that's fine."

He smiles back at me as he cups the sides of my face with his hands. He leans down and places a small kiss on my lips. After a moment, he pulls away and his eyes meet mine.

"Bye, Rory." He smiles at me.

"Bye, Paul." I smile back before standing up on my tip toes to place a small kiss on his left cheek.

I'm rewarded with a genuine smile and a soft kiss on my forehead before he goes back out into the rain. I watch as he cranks his truck, and I send him a final wave before he backs out of the driveway before I make my way into the house.

I hear voices on the TV as I walk into the living room where I see Dad sitting a little _too_ casually. He's reclined in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. The swinging cords on the blinds that cover the window next to his chair make me believe that he was probably spying on me. The thought makes me want to cover my face with my hands in embarrassment which I somehow manage to restrain from doing.

"I'm home, Dad." I say as I lean against the back of the couch and look at him.

"Oh! Rory, I didn't hear you come in," His eyebrows raise as he looks at me trying to look like he's surprised. "How'd it go?"

I decide to ignore the fact that we both know that he knew I was here from the moment Paul's headlights shined into the driveway. I instead give him a smile, "It was fun. Mimsie is quite a character."

"Yeah, she's definitely something else." He laughs, his cheeks taking on light pink hue.

 _That's interesting._

"Yeah," I give a small laugh as I glance around, "So… Where's Bella?"

"Upstairs doing homework," He informs me with a frown, "I don't know why those teachers give you guys homework on the weekends. It's like you never have time to just be kids."

"Yeah, the school must be run by sadists." I nod my head agreeing with him, "They like to watch younger people suffer."

He gives me a weird look but chuckles none-the-less.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" He questions as his hand comes up to scratch the back of his neck, "I'm going fishing with some guys from the station. I can stay home and we could hang out if you wanted me to."

I smile knowing that Dad really does enjoy spending time with us. It warms my heart to know that he's willing to give up hanging with the boys to hang with his girls.

"No, Dad." I say as I make a swatting motion with my hand, "Go have fun. Catch a big one for me. Bella and I will be able to find something to keep us preoccupied."

He shoots me a doubtful look, "She plans on being in and out of the house. Doing grocery shopping and laundry."

My face scrunches up in disgust, "What's wrong with that girl?"

He lets out a small laugh and shrugs, "Your sister is just very mature and responsible for her age."

I frown slightly. _Then what does that say about me?_ I shake my head deciding not to dwell on the thought too much.

"I'll figure out something to do. Don't worry about me. You just go show the guys at the station how it's done." I grin at him.

"I always do." He grins back at me and winks.

I quickly make my way up the stairs beyond ready to share all of the details of the night with my twin. Barging into our room, I had expected to find Bella awake and reading. Instead, I find her completely knocked out with Chopin's nocturnes playing quietly on the radio.

I let out a disappointed sigh realizing that telling her about my night with Paul and Mimsie will obviously have to wait.

* * *

Saturday morning I wake up and realize that Bella isn't even at home. I decide that I will just shoot Mom an email about my day yesterday. I'm overflowing with excitement and I'm afraid that I might spontaneously combust if I don't tell somebody.

I decide to get a shower after sending my email to Mom. I bring the CD player into the bathroom and set it on the closed toilet seat. I'm thankful that the power cord is long enough to reach to the plug in next to the sink. I put my Maroon 5 _Songs about Jane_ cd in and press play.

I spend a good hour in the shower having my own mini concert. By the time I step out of the shower the bathroom is engulfed in steam and the mirror is so fogged up that I can't even see myself in it. I quickly brush my teeth before making my way to my room to get dressed.

I bound down the stairs dressed in jeans and a white sweatshirt, my hair thrown haphazardly in a bun on the top of my head. I notice that Bella still isn't home. I don't know what could be taking her so long when the only place that Dad said she was going is to the grocery store. I shrug my shoulders and head into the kitchen to find some food.

Four hours later, I find myself sprawled out on the couch watching a marathon of _Friends._ I'm surrounded by various snack wrappers and lone pieces of popcorn that I've accidently dropped but haven't picked up yet.

The phone ringing startles me. I grin when I remember that Paul is supposed to call when he gets off of work. I jump over the back of the couch and quickly make my way to the phone hoping that it's him.

"Hello?" I answer as lean against the wall, twirling the phone cord between my fingers absentmindedly.

"Hey, Rory." I hear Paul's voice respond back to me causing me to smile.

"How was your day, Paul?" I ask as I slide down the wall to sit on the floor with my legs crossed in front of me.

"It was good." He tells me, "So have you eaten anything yet?"

I pause as I remember the toaster strudel, hot pocket, corn dog, and all of the snacks that I recently pigged out on, "Uh… no. Not really."

"Are you hungry?" He questions, "Me and my friends were planning on going to Clearwater's Café. It would be cool if you came."

"Sounds great, but I would need a ride." I say as I stand up, "Bella has the truck and I haven't seen her today."

"That's fine," He informs me as I hear the sound of keys clinking in the background, "I'll be there in about 20 minutes, okay?"

"Okay."

"Bye, Rory."

I smile, "Bye, Paul."

For a moment, I panic as nerves hit me in a tidal wave. I'm going to meet Paul's friends. That's another group of people that I am now worried about what kind of impression that I am going to make. I give myself a moment to freak out before taking a deep breath. I was able to meet Mimsie and make a good impression on her… if I can survive meeting his grandmother, then surely, I will survive meeting his friends.

I grab all of my trash that surrounds the couch and throw it away before making my way to my room. I take the ponytail out of my hair and quickly run a brush through it before putting it back up. I pull on my boots and make my way back downstairs. I decide that it would probably be a good idea to leave Dad a note so that he will know where I am. As I write up the note explaining where I will be and with who, I wonder for what seems like the millionth time today just where exactly my dear sister has been.

Before I know it, I hear the sound of Paul's truck pulling into the driveway. I grin to myself as I make my way out the door. I quickly lock the door using the spare key. I'm beyond grateful that it isn't raining even though the sky is an unattractive shade of grey.

As I turn away from the door, I nearly bump into Paul who is staring down at me an amused smile gracing his lips. He is wearing dark jeans and a blue t-shirt layered on top of a white long sleeve.

"You ready?" I ask as I smile back up at him.

"Almost," He says as he brings his warm hands up to gently hold my neck causing goosebumps to spread over me. The tips of his thumbs tilt my chin up and in an instant his soft, warm lips are on mine. The smell of pine and cologne surrounds me like a comforting blanket. I raise my hands up, they trail slowly up his neck before resting on either sides of his face. I feel him shiver and I can't help but smile into the kiss. He pulls away after a moment, before placing one more quick kiss onto my lips.

He grins at me as he takes my hand, "Now I'm ready."

I grin like a dork as he leads me to the truck feeling confident that as long as he is next to me, I will be able to make it through meeting his friends without any problems. For once, I feel like I've got this.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **First off, I am so sorry that it has been 2 years since the last update. The past two years have been crazy. My family is in a better place and we were blessed to add a baby boy to our family this past June. Thank you so much to everyone has have favorited, followed, and reviewed.**

 **Dunced Goofball, FlowerChild23, Nya Pearl, WinterLunarKitten, Drealla, Kalel 18, chickeyd, Booklover345 and Guest thank you all for your kind words. You all have such beautiful hearts and you helped me during a tough time in my life. I don't think I could express just how thankful that I am.**

 **Secondly, please let me know what you think!**

 **Crystal-WolfGuardain-967: I'm so glad that you love it! I hope you will continue to enjoy!**

 **chickeyd: I absolutely love how in depth your review is. I am so relieved that you are able to see the relationships that I had set out to make. I worry a lot about making them all as real, believable, and relatable as possible. I'm excited that you picked up on those details that I put in… I'm doing my best to keep everything set in the 2005 timeline that the book is written about. I'm just beyond glad that you are loving it. I hope that you will continue to enjoy the story!**

 **ImSoSirius: This is the first story that I have written, you must be mistaken me for someone else.**

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 **Lady of Sign: I'm so glad that you like the story and I hope that you will enjoy what comes next.**

 **Loves to read books: I love your in depth review! I can understand you dislike of Edward... A lot of things that he does is completely unhealthy in a relationship. I am glad that you are seeing Rory break away some and coming into her own person. It makes me happy that you are able to understand her personality. I'm glad that you love the story and I hope that you will continue to enjoy.**

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 **Mrs. Manansala: Thank you for your review. I will see what I can do and then hopefully you will be able to enjoy the story.**

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 **Jenny Morgan: I'm glad that you love Paul and Rory! Bella definitely keeps secrets from her. We will have to wait and see how it turns out!**

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 **mNmcswain: I love that you were using a Hershey's wrapper as a book mark for your Harry Potter book! That is awesome! Lol. I'm glad that you enjoyed that chapter and I hope that you will continue to enjoy!**

 **: I'm glad that you love it! I hope that you will continue to love it!**


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